Not meeting expectations is usually not an enjoyable experience. The Manhattan High Varsity volleyball team found that the hard way by tying for second place with Lawrence in their meet on Saturday.

“We were planning on winning it,” senior setter Kenzie Smith said. “We knew that there was Blue Valley North, and that they were pretty much our only competition that we really had to focus on and Lawrence is a really good team. They beat us last year and this year they are a lot better. Everytime we go there we always get first or second or tie for second place, so it would’ve been nice to get a sweep.”

They began with a promising start by winning their first three games, but they just couldn’t hold on to finish out the tournament and lost their last two games. The final game was lost to Lawrence in the third set by just a few points, leading them to receive second place medals.

“We got tired,” Smith said. “Playing five games with only a 30-minute lunch and a five-minute break made us tired. One of the things we are going to work on this week, considering we don’t play this week is a lot of conditioning. We kind of got in a couple holes where they just keep rallying out point and we got down on ourselves, they just outlasted us in those long rallies.”  

Although sweeping the tournament was the desired result, tying for second place wasnt all that bad of a result.

“I think we did good,” Smith said. “I expected to not go 3-2, I expected to beat Lawrence at least, but I think we are getting better every time we play which is really good and by the time we get to substate we should be a really solid team.”

Their next competition is on Sept. 16 against Hayden.