COTTONWOOD  —  Taylor Hinz was the player to watch in the loss Tuesday, finishing the match with 10 kills, but her efforts weren’t enough to come close as the Lakeview volleyball team lost 25-17, 25-13, 25-21 to the Renville County West Jaguars. 

“Taylor is one of our key players in games like this. When we’re down, she’ll always find a spark of energy to keep the team on their feet,” Lakeview head coach Alexis Lienemann said. “Her volleyball IQ is fantastic, and she knows what to do in certain moments. Whether that be setting up a kill, or going for one herself, she’s there for the team.” 

As soon as the first set began, the Jaguars got off to a hot start, posting kill after kill to get up early.  

Lakeview was at a notable height disadvantage, which was a considerable factor in their loss. RCW’s front three staggered Lakeview’s, making it hard to get it over, forcing many errors.  

“That’s one thing we practice,” Lienemann said. “When we practice, we try to score three points in a row. If they made a mistake, we’d go back down to zero. It’s one thing we do to help us rally up the score.” 

RCW showed no remorse for the Lakers, pelting them with blunt spikes off quick ball movement. Overwhelming the Lakeview attackers, it wasn’t long for them to call timeout to think things through.  

“One thing we need to work on is our attitude. How can we rally back? How can we get a good volley and find that momentum,” Lienemann said. 

Even after the timeout was called, the Lakers couldn’t find their way around, dropping the first set 17-25. 

“We can’t rely on one person to keep us moving. Aubreigh Rusch has helped us get the ball moving and having her has helped the team out a lot,” Lienemann said. “But we can’t rely on just one or two people. It’s a team; everybody puts in their efforts.” 

Rausch finished the match accounting for all of the Lakers’ 21 set assists, tallying seven in each set. 

After the Jaguars took the first set, they kept cruising, gaining momentum off Lakeview’s attacking mistakes, going up 18-10. Hinz recorded a pair of kills to find some fortune but would come up short. The Jaguars evaded another possible comeback, taking the second set 25-13. 

The Jaguars aimed to close out the third set, but the Lakers wouldn’t go down quickly. The Lakers kept it close, even getting their first lead of the match.

Still, the Jaguars’ offense didn’t allow Lakeview to stay in control for long.  

The Jaguars would take their pungent struggles and withdrawal them from their game. With a winning attitude, it didn’t take long for them to stop Lakeview’s lead and come back on top.  

Yet again, Lakeview would rally late, scaring the Jaguars into their first timeout. Coming back from their deficit, to only down three points, RWC took their first timeout. That was enough for the Jaguars to finish the game. 

A lot of Lakeview’s struggles were off poor hits. Whether it be keeping it inside the boundary lines, or defending an opposing kill, struggles were abundant. With RCW’s hefty attacking front, it was hard to defend for an immense part of the game 

“We have strong servers, sometimes they’re too strong,” said Lienemann. “They do a good job getting it over and coming back to their position, but sometimes it goes a little too risky, and mistakes like that happen.” 

“We have a young core,” said Lienemann. “Which can help us out in the future. What we need is leadership. Throughout the season, a handful of girls have stepped up. They give us a good mentality to close out a game. We need that type to help us through the postseason.” 

Lakeview (9-13) will travel to face No. 6 Canby (16-5) on Thursday. The game time is set at 7:15 p.m.