Playing back-to-back-to-back games was no problem for the Princess Margaret Mustangs senior boys volleyball team Wednesday night.
The Mustangs used home court advantage to sweep the Summerland Rockets (25-20 and 25-19) and the Oliver Hornets (25-16 and 25-5), before losing to the seventh ranked George Elliot Coyotes.
Mustangs coach Rich Corrie joked his group is a well-oiled machine that is young to handle that many games. it also helped that he used his entire roster.
They started with what he described as a solid performance against the Rockets, in which they passed and attacked well to keep the opposition on their heels. However, co-captain Connor Graham said they lacked focus.
In the second set, the Mustangs led 10-4 before the Rockets clawed back to tie at 13. The teams then traded points for a while.
"We made a lot of mental errors and a lot of physical ones," said Graham. "Just a lot of stuff that we didn't need to do. Gave them a lot of points they didn't really earn."
Against the Hornets, the Mustangs had a slow start before becoming more aggressive in the second set. Corrie said his players attacked the ball when the chance arose and dug the ball well. The players have also improved their communication.
"We are playing well as a team defensively for this early in the season, moving well and covering blocks effectively," said Corrie. "We are not a tall team, so we need to play strong defence and keep a lot of rallies alive to be successful. We will focus on defensive positioning and intensity in the coming weeks."
Against the Coyotes, Corrie said they didn't pass well and when they had a 15-10 lead, couldn't sustain it, losing 25-20. They lost the second set 25-14. Corrie said the players became tentative in their attacks and gave the Coyotes too many easy balls to attack.
"They are a much bigger team so we need to really pressure them and be aggressive to throw their offence off," said Corrie.
The Mustangs are second in the six-team Okanagan/Kelowna League and received an honorable mention for the second straight week.