Fresh off the CRC Classic, the Cosumnes River College volleyball team looked to build off their strong performance in the tournament where they went 2-1.

The Hawks went up against Columbia College on Sept. 12, but they didn’t look like the same team that showed up to play in the tournament.

Columbia won in three sets by the scores of 19-25, 18-25 and 23-25. With the loss, the Hawks have dropped two in a row.

“It definitely helps going 2-1 in your own tournament and knowing that the last one was in our reach, that was our match to lose,” said head coach Natalie Wells. “Maybe some of them got a little over confident.”

The Hawks were able to keep it close in the first set trailing 19-16 after the first timeout was called, but lack of communication and costly errors resulted in points for Columbia, putting the first set out of reach.

“I think we could work more as a team, communicate more on the court,” sophomore outside hitter Hoang Nguyen said. “We lack that, which we demonstrated today by losing all three games.”

At the beginning of the second set, the Hawks took a 9-6 lead, forcing Columbia to call a timeout. The timeout seemed to kill the Hawks momentum as Columbia stormed back to take a 16-14 lead, forcing CRC to call a timeout of their own.

After the Hawks timeout, their lack of communication and sluggish play continued. Only being able to rally for four more points in the set. That trend continued into the third set.

“For me, I need to be more vocal on the court, like speaking to my setter and asking what set do I set,” freshman middle hitter Rose Koloamatangi said.

The third-and-final set saw a lot of back-and-forth action between the two teams and it was either teams set to lose. Down 11-8, the Hawks managed to climb back and keep the game tied at 20-20.

However, Columbia rallied to pull off three points late for a 23-25 victory.

“We’re going to work harder tomorrow,” said Nguyen. “Definitely come in with more chemistry and more intensity and we’re going to have a better attitude toward the next game.”

With the loss, the Hawks record dropped to 3-4, with the San Jose City College Tournament just around the corner.

“We have a long way to go and it doesn’t matter how we start, it’s how we finish,” Wells said.

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