By BRUCE HARPER

Bee-Picayune staff

The Galveston College Whitecaps were in Beeville on Saturday to meet the Coastal Bend College Lady Cougars on the volleyball court. It was a three-game sweep for the visitors but the Lady Cougars gave the Whitecaps all they wanted over the first two games of the best of five match. The scores were 25-22, 25-22 and 25-13 in favor of the visitors.

“They (the Lady Cougars) have really improved as the season winds down to an end. Being so young the girls have has to take the step up to compete in a tough district,” said CBC coach Roxanne Aguirre.

“ As they mature, so does the skill level. I was very pleased with the way the girls have played.”

The first game was close but the Cougars trailed early but fought their way back to tie the contest at 19-19. Local players Kasha Clay (former Beeville Lady Trojan) and Jenelle Rios (former Pettus Lady Eagle) had good kills along the front line for coach Roxanne Aguirre during the CBC comeback.

The Whitecaps got the win, outscoring the Lady Cougars 6-3 down the stretch with a couple of good hits and tough serves.

Game two was probably the best effort from the Lady Cougars, at least through the midpoint of the contest. The CBC girls held an 18-14 lead and looked to be on their way to evening up the match.

The Whitecaps put on a surge to pull even at 20-20 and again closed out the game stronger than the Lady Cougars. The final was an identical 25-22 in favor of the visitors.

The 2-0 deficit may have gotten the Lady Cougars a little down but it certainly buoyed the play of the Whitecaps. Their serves were faster and their hits for kills more powerful. Every hit went to an open spot or deflected out of bounds off a Lady Cougar. CBC was down 11-2 before the hosts knew it. The final in game three was a dominating 25-13 win for the Galveston College ladies.

Most of the teams that the Lady Cougars meet have a roster that bolsters six or seven players that could be termed powerhouses. The Lady Cougars, as a program just starting out, just aren’t that deep as of yet.

The final four regular season games are all on the road. The Lady Cougars were at Blinn College on Monday evening and then they will get to finish the year with a weekend road trip to meet San Jacinto on Friday night and a Saturday afternoon date with Lee College. A make-up game with Galveston College on Sunday will conclude the season for the Lady Cougars.