Pirates cut down Monarchs in 3-0 win

EXETER – With an 0-2 start to league play, Exeter volleyball desperately needed a win over Reedley this past Thursday night. On their home court, the Exeter Monarchs hoped to get off to a hot start and grab momentum. But the visiting Reedley Pirates had other ideas. 

In the first two sets, the Pirates took control early and never looked back. The Monarchs tried to battle back in the third, but Reedley held on for the 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-19) victory on Sept. 26. As his team got the win, Reedley head coach Ken Tatami liked how his team responded after playing in a tournament the previous weekend. 

“The effort was there and I think we played a good match,” Tatami said. “We’re still somewhat tired from last weekend’s tournament so I think we’re still trying to work that out as a team and then still trying to create some more consistency.”

As they beat the Monarchs, the Pirates picked up their first league win to improve to 1-1 in the Tri-County-Kings League and 15-13 overall. The win also gets them back on track after losing their previous four matches. 

Desperate for a win, the Pirates got rolling in the first set. After an early 10-10 tie, the Pirates went on a 10-3 run to take a 20-13 lead. As the Pirates got Exeter out of rhythm, senior outside hitter Keilani Kim believes their offense put the pressure on the Monarchs. 

“We were just trying to utilize our offense as best as we can because we practiced a lot,” Kim said. 

After wrapping up the 25-16 win in the first, the Pirates sailed out to a 13-8 lead to open the second. Just like the previous contest, the Monarchs could not put up a response as the Pirates cruised to their second straight 25-16 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match. 

Looking to stay alive, the Monarchs started the third strong. After falling behind 7-3, the Monarchs battled with the Pirates to make it a 12-12 stalemate halfway through the contest. As her team showed a spark, Exeter assistant coach Jacqueline Hutcheson believes the Monarchs were just working well together. 

“We finally started communicating and were getting stops on defense,” Hutcheson said. “That really helps us come alive because we’re such a young team.”

But the Pirates retook momentum with a 7-1 run that gave them a 19-13 lead. After playing loose through most of the contest, the Pirates decided to finally lock in. 

“We really started focusing,” Kim said. “Our mindset wasn’t there the first two sets. We were kind of messing around a little bit but once coach told us to lock in, we really started focusing.”

With momentum, the Pirates closed it out for the 25-19 win to complete the sweep. As the Monarchs suffered the league loss, they fell to 0-3 in the Tri-County-Kings League and 5-11 overall. As they move forward still searching for their first league win, Hutcheson looks to keep her team confident. 

“My message is just being positive and taking the good things and running with them,” Hutcheson said. “We are a good team and they need to believe in themselves so we’re trying to work on believing in ourselves.”

As his team moves forward, Tatami hopes that his team can lean on the team chemistry that led them to victory over the Monarchs. 

“They’re all supportive of one another and they’re pushing,” Tatami said. “That helps energize them when they’re tired so that’s always a good positive.”