 "Photo: Jonathan Alexander/Echo sports editor")
 "Photo: Jonathan Alexander/ Echo sports editor")
Intensity high, chants from the cheerleaders, the crowd by their side, the game was tied 20-20 late in the first set. For a minute, the Lady Eagles (1-13) look poised take down the Lady Highlanders of Radford University (5-9) on Tuesday night Sept. 27.
Instead, their opportunity was snatched away as the Lady Highlanders finished with five consecutive points to end the first set.
Both schools have struggled this season, but tonight the Lady Highlanders looked the better of the two. The Lady Highlanders would proceed to take the next two sets. The final score was 0-3 (25-20, 25-17, 25-18) serving the Lady Eagle's their 13th loss of the season.
"After the first set our intensity went down. I don't know if it was because we lost or what," said true freshman Dayanna Arrufat.
Arrufat led the team with 11 kills on the night.
It was the Lady Eagles first game since gaining their first win of the season in a MEAC opener against rival Lady Aggies of N.C. A&T, Friday. Before the game, they had hoped to match that same intensity.
"I think when we started off there was intensity, but we started making errors in the last few points of the game," said head coach Georgette Crawford-Crooks.
Leader, senior Chantel Moore and sophomore Kalin Russell both sat out from injuries Tuesday night. Their return to the lineup is not certain. With multiple injuries, the Lady Eagles continue to suffer from lack of depth.
There have been only one or two players eligible to be subbed in most of the season, and most players are out of position.
"We had players that weren't playing their natural positions and sometimes it's exhausting because nobody can go in for you when you're tired," said Arrufat.
Crooks says errors also play a key role in the losses. Hitting percentages were down in each set as the Lady Eagles had 25 errors to the Lady Highlanders' 14.
"Too many unforced errors. 25 that's a little too much," said Crooks.
However, Crooks sees her team steadily improving.
"Every time we play, things are getting better and we're getting stronger. Its just a matter of consistency," she said.
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