For Blair Oaks volleyball coach Joy Northweather, her team's seventh loss of the season came down to one thing.
Hesitation.
"Mistakes caused by hesitation and not having poise," Northweather said.
The Lady Falcons fell to Rock Bridge 25-16, 25-18 on Thursday at Jason Gym.
"I don't feel like we're playing with the attitude and confidence to step up and play to the level we can play," Northweather said. "I think some girls are doubting themselves."
In the first set, the Bruins jumped out to a 9-3 lead before Northweather called a timeout and tried to get her players to regroup.
"We tried to make some adjustments during the timeouts, but they have some pretty tough hitters," Northweather said of Rock Bridge.
Blair Oaks gradually clawed its way back into the game, winning five of six points at one stretch to pull within three. But the 14-11 score was the closest the Lady Falcons would get for the remainder of the game.
Northweather called another timeout at 21-15, but Blair Oaks was unable to make a final push.
"They need to be a little hungrier," Northweather said.
Blair Oaks got off to a much better start in the second set, going up 7-3. The two teams battled back in forth until the Lady Falcons established their biggest lead of the night at 12-7.
That, however, was when the Bruins made a push. Rock Bridge won eight straight points to take a three-point lead, one it would never relinquish.
"It's really frustrating," Northweather said. "That's the lack of poise."
Ryan Dudenhoeffer led Blair Oaks in kills with four, while Allison Maxwell and Taylor Stockman each had three. Sadie Turner led with six assists and Lizzie Rosslan added five. Rebecca Schroeder and Maxwell each had an ace, and Stockman, Kellie Fredendall and Dudenhoeffer each had a block.
Northweather said her team made too many mistakes on sets, as double hits proved to be a problem for the Lady Falcons. Net play in general was a consistent advantage for the Bruins.
"They killed us on the tips," Northweather said.
It was no surprise Rock Bridge (21-6) provided a challenge for Blair Oaks. Northweather credited Bruins coach Robin Sherman and her ability to prepare her players by the time they get to varsity level.
"They come in ready to play," Northweather said.
The Lady Falcons (14-7-2) head to the Versailles Tournament this weekend, and Northweather hopes her players can use the games to get themselves in shape for district play.
"It's bringing it all together," she said. "It's every coach's nightmare to be playing with hesitation a week and a half before districts."
The Lady Falcons' junior varsity squad fared better. Blair Oaks (18-1) defeated Rock Bridge 25-13, 25-17.