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Bristol Central girls volleyball has the talent needed for a deep tournament run Bristol Central's Xia'ian Carrasco (13) | Wesley Bunnell | Buy this photo
Published on Wednesday, 27 September 2017 23:44


BRISTOL - For Bristol Central girls volleyball, the talent to make a deep run in the tournament this season is there.

Against a tough opponent in Maloney, the Rams looked like they were going to get a huge win as they held a 2-1 advantage.

It was mental errors that led to the demise of Bristol Central and helped the Spartans get back into the match and eventually come back to beat the Rams.

“It’s like a roller coaster with us, but we’re fighters,” Xia’ian Carrasco said. “We’re not just going to throw in the towel after one mistake. It’s a work in progress, but as the season goes and the stakes get higher, we pick it up.”

For head coach Holly Willette, she knows her team is more than capable and seeing the lead slip away was tough.

“I think mostly it was us,” Willette said. “We didn’t play our game. We let them make us play frantic at times and it took over.”

While tough, the Rams can take away some positives from the match as they did hold a 2-1 lead over a good Maloney team.

Maloney presented challenges to Bristol Central throughout, especially on the service game.

“They were scrappy. They picked up the ball,” Willette said. “We got in a couple ruts in our serve receive, but it was mostly us.”

Melanie Polanco was a force for the Spartans and caused issues for Bristol Central during the match.

She played a major role in the comeback, but Bristol Central knows that it could have played better, especially with communication.

“They were strong mentally, physically and they were talkers. They were loud even when they were still down by three and that’s what we lack.”

With that confidence, if the Rams can stay focused throughout and finish out matches strong, the season could be a memorable one.

The potential is certainly there in order for them to do so.

“We need more consistency with energy, talking passes, it’s not just one thing,” Carrasco said. “It’s a lot of things we have to contribute as a whole.”

Posted in The Bristol Press, Bristol Central, General Sports on Wednesday, 27 September 2017 23:44. Updated: Wednesday, 27 September 2017 23:46.