The Thunder men’s volleyball team was defeated 3-1 by the Georgian Grizzlies on Nov. 2.
The Thunder put up a good fight but in the end a lack of defense and unfortunate player positioning lost them the game. Serving consistency was also a big issue, resulting in the ball being handed to the other team for some easy points.
“They [Georgian Grizzlies] are a strong team, a respectable team, top of our conference,” said Thunder coach Mohamed Shaheen. “We tried to compete. We did our best in the first two sets but unfortunately we lost our main setter. I think he got concussed by a blow to the face.”
Some high-intensity attacks allowed Thunder to take the second set after a very close first set, but they could not recover enough ground to win another.
“The rhythm of the game was changed a little bit,” said Shaheen. “It’s the beginning of the season. Everyone is trying to figure out their comfort and figure out about their teammates. There are two or three players that are new on the team and it’s tough. These guys [grizzlies], most of them have played together for years. I’ve seen four of them two, three years since I started coaching so they are experienced.
The Thunder moved on to play George Brown in another home game on Nov. 3.