Oran volleyball team drops Charleston in opener

Charleston's Kasuela Cooper (right) and Oran's Kali Mills (left) fight for a tipped ball on Monday as both teams opened their seasons at Charleston High School. Oran won the match in two sets, 25-19 and 25-14.
(Photo by Brent Shipman, Staff)

CHARLESTON -- With both teams opening their seasons Monday night, the Charleston Lady Bluejays and visiting Oran Lady Eagles each came in to the match hopeful of starting their seasons out on a winning note.

That honor would go to the Lady Eagles who took early leads in both sets in route to a 25-19, 25-14 sweep over the Lady Bluejays.

"I thought they played well," Oran coach Sara Heisserer said. "It was our first game so there was a lot of nervous energy. We had two freshman playing up on the varsity and one of them hadn't played since seventh grade."

In the first set, Oran quickly jumped out to a 9-3 lead, only to see it evaporate as Charleston charged back to tie things up at 13-13.

Things would stay close through most of the set with the Lady Bluejays trailing 23-19 in the latter stage of the set.

Scoring three-points straight to end the set, however, Oran would prevent any late Charleston rally as Amanda Young's ace on set-point wrapped up the 25-19 win.

Unfortunately for Lady Bluejay fans, the night's second set would turn out a little more lop-sided with the Lady Eagles breaking out with an 8-1 lead to start the set.

Slowly adding to their lead which was at its largest at 24-11.

Though the Lady Bluejays would rally for three-points late it proved too late as Oran wrapped up the 25-14 win to secure the match.

"Overall it was great," Heisserer said. "Today was my birthday and I told (the girls) before hand the best present I could get tonight is two wins and we did it."

While her team didn't come away with the win, Lady Bluejays coach Kathy Browning was proud of her girls

"Overall they played really well," Browning said. "We have new (players) and there was times they were out of position. So it kind of flustered the rest (of the girls).

"But all-in-all I thought we played really well to have the new people like we do that have stayed out a year and came back. So we're still learning to work as a team."

With her team coming off a rough season last year, Browning added an early win would have done wonders for her teams confidence.

"All year long with us last year we just couldn't get over the top," she said. "We're staying with some of these teams, we just can't get over the top. This is a conference game and I wish we could have won it just to give the girls confidence.

"We haven't won in several years and I just think we just need a win to get our confidence level up so they can see they can do it."

Charleston will look to rebound tonight when they travel to Caruthersville to take on the Lady Tigers at 6 p.m.

After over a week off, Oran will pick back up Sep. 10 when they take part in the B. A. Sports Classic.