After a disappointing performance last week against Paris, the Charleston Lady Tigers hosted Waldron Monday night. The Lady Tigers returned home from a week on the road with the chance of regaining the momentum they had going into the match with Paris.
Going into Monday night it was unknown how the Lady Tigers would respond to their first adversity of the year. Charleston (5-1, 2-1) responded with a 3-0 sweep over conference foe Waldron. Although the games were competitive, the Lady Tigers put last week behind them and charged out to a 3-0 sweep of the Lady Bulldogs. The sweep was a statement win that announced they are back and focused for a conference run for the remainder of the season.
After the game, Charleston coach Ryan Rachuy indicated that overall he was pleased with the response of the team, but said the team still had things that needed to be cleaned up. This is a very important week for the Lady Tigers, as they host Lincoln on Tuesday night in another conference match-up. Charleston will be on the road Thursday for a third conference match of the week when they play West Fork.
The Lady Tigers will play 7th grade, junior high “B”, junior high “A” and varsity matches on Tuesday. The action will begin at 4 p.m. The Lady Tigers need your support Tuesday night as Charleston plays a quick turnaround match less than 24 hours after their win over Waldron.
It’s never too early to begin thinking about finishing the conference season strong. Rankings from the regular season will be used to determine seeding in the all-important district tournament. With the district only allowed three teams to move on to the state tournament, it is imperative that the Lady Tigers take care of business and finish the season strong. A second place or better finish in district would be huge for Charleston and their chances to land a state tournament birth.
But for now, the old coaching cliche applies. You have to take them one at a time. Now is the time for Charleston’s senior leadership to take over and keep the team focused on the opponent that is in front of them with each match of the regular season. It is way too early to look ahead to the district tournament.
If Monday night’s performance is any indication of how this team will respond, good things await the Lady Tigers down the line.
