PROVO – How important is mentality, really?
In sport, the strongest, fastest, and biggest people have the leg up. They’re the ones with the dunks, the records, the spikes and blocks.
If mentality has no place in sports, then the loss the BYU Volleyball team was handed by the UVU Volleyball team should be the most defeating loss imaginable. But in that final set, UVU didn’t stop, they rallied, made successful plays, and found a rhythm. Despite being considered down for the count, they played until the game was over.
Completing a 3-0 set sweep against UVU, BYU was a wall. Almost any attempt made by UVU was met by the defensive frame of the Cougars, who ended the night with 34 total digs. 18 of those were racked up by junior Lulu Po’uha.
On the green side, UVU ended the night with 90 total attempts to BYU’s 75 attempts. That spark for the game, the mental drive was never lost.
“It’s very important. I mean, it’s what we talk about and what we have to do to start the match, and do it during the match, regardless of where we’re at,” said UVU head coach Sam Atoa. “There were definitely moments there that we didn’t play well, and I’m glad that they were able to kind of come back and compete in that third set. But we’ve got a lot to learn, and we’re gonna learn and get better.”
UVU only led the game in the first set, after the first serve 1-0, before BYU retaliated and led in every set for the remainder of the game.
Brielle Rueckert, the senior middle blocker from UVU led the team in total attempts and kills. She felt that confidence was the key indicator in the way they played, “it’s really important that we all have confidence in our own abilities because everyone has what it takes. We just need to find it in ourselves and be consistent with that, just as a whole team.”
UVU Volleyball ends this night 2-8, they’ll be playing at USU, then coming home to face Weber state before starting Big West Conference play September 24th.
Earlier coverage
