Livingston volleyball captured one of their most important wins of the season Tuesday in a sweep over Shepherd. The 25-13, 25-21, 23-13 victory clinched a playoff berth with two matches remaining in district play.
“The girls are pushing every single day, trying not to plateau, trying to climb the mountain every single day, and get better 1% each day,” Livingston coach Casey Veen said. “I think they are trending in the right direction. After a slow start with district, we're seeing a lot of good growth from them each and every day.”
Livingston led through most of the opening set, but fell behind a few times in the second. Shepherd held a 19-18 advantage before the Lions made a late push. The Lady Pirates again held an early lead in the final set, but Livingston would lead by as much as 10 to comfortably take the sweep.
Veen is in her first season back with the Lions, where she began her head coaching career. She has been able to continue the school’s recent success in the sport, which has now reached the postseason the past three years under three different head coaches.
Yet, this season is a bit different. The district is deeper and more competitive throughout than in years past, requiring the girls to remain at top performance.
“We've improved a lot with hitting, finding open spots on the courts, and just coming together as a team and executing all together, not doing it one by one,” senior leader Maddie Akers said. “We did take a win from Huffman, and we've gone 1-1 with (Hardin-Jefferson) and, just keep improving as we've gone.”
Excitement about the Lions’ program has also grown, with more in attendance and special nights like the event held Tuesday.
“I mean, there's a great buzz around the program,” Veen said. “You know, we're trying to bridge the gap between former players and future players. So, like, tonight was Little Sister Night.
“Now that we're implementing it, everyone – parents, fans, the community – everyone is buying into that. It's been pretty cool to see the fanbase grow over the season. There was a little bit, and now there's a lot.”
Hamshire-Fannett dropping a match to Huffman Hargrave put Livingston three games ahead of the Lady Horns to clinch their spot in bi-district. They are currently tied for third place with Hardin-Jefferson, a half-game behind Hargrave and a game behind first-place Liberty. There is still a chance to improve seeding with two wins.
“Our expectation is to get to postseason,” Veen said. “You know, with the D1, D2 split, one, two, three or four really doesn't matter anymore. Just get in, and then you'll be one or two. The biggest thing is once we get to postseason, everything starts at 0-0.”
