Umpqua Community College’s volleyball team played their final home game of the season in a match against the Lane Titans on sophomore day Saturday, Nov. 3. Despite holding a late lead, Umpqua was unable to finish off the Titans who ultimately won by a final score 3-2.
Final set scores were 22-25, 29-27, 25-22, 18-25, 10-15 in Lane’s favor.
Lane pulled out a victory in the first set and proceeded to start the next two sets with a lead. Despite falling behind early on in the second and third sets, Umpqua regained the lead behind the effort of team captain Emma Lind who led the match with 15 kills.
“We did not want to lose. When we were behind, we kept pushing each other and putting every last effort we had to come back,” Lind said.
Entering the fourth set trailing by one game, Lane stuck to their game and remained calm on the court. When given the opportunity to score the Titans took advantage of holes in Umpqua’s defense.
“Lane was just always a step ahead of us. They were hitting in spots that we were not in,” Lind explained.
Despite a tough loss on sophomore day, Lind said that the team wasn’t going to let a single loss take away from the hard work they had put in throughout the entire season. For some this was their last game playing at Umpqua, but the team made it clear this wasn’t an end to the bonds they’ve formed.
“Saturday was our sophomore day; it was the last time we were all going to play together at UCC. I have had an amazing time here, and I have not only learned to be a better athlete but I have learned to be a better person. My favorite memory is getting to meet so many amazing people and getting to play with them,”
The 2018 season was anything but easy for the RiverHawks. They were able to get off to a hot start but couldn’t quite find the consistency needed to finish the season at or near the top of the standings. While the feeling of defeat has been tough to accept, the team has judged their success based off of more than just wins and losses.
“This year we have gone through ups and downs, but I would not change a thing. The friendships I have made will last me a life time, and I’m so proud of my team,” Lind said.
Umpqua finished their final game on the road where they closed out the season against the Southwestern Oregon Lakers. The game took place on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at Southwestern Oregon Community College.