MYRTLE CREEK – In a match that was hardly ever separated by more than just a few points, the South Umpqua volleyball team didn’t have enough to get past first place Siuslaw in a Far West League contest Thursday night.

The Lady Lancers pushed the Vikings to the brink, but struggled to close the door. Siuslaw won the match 3-1, but head coach Shani Bunnell doesn’t feel like the Vikings beat her squad.

“I don’t feel that Siuslaw beat us. I feel that we beat ourselves. We made silly mistakes that we shouldn’t have done at like the worst possible times.”

Those worst possible times were typically right at the end of sets. The Lancers lost the first, third, and fourth sets, but had a chance to win each one. In the opening set, the S.U. girls rallied to tie the set at 22-22, but Siuslaw would score the final three points.

In the third set, South Umpqua went on a 5-0 run to take a 20-16 lead and even led 22-20, but the Vikings managed to score the final five points.

In the fourth and final set, the Lancers fell behind by five points early, but rallied to keep things interesting. South Umpqua took a 21-20 edge, but once again Siuslaw had the answer and finished on a 5-2 run.

“We couldn’t pick up the balls we were supposed to be ready for,” said coach Bunnell said after the loss. “It’s a pretty decent team, we just don’t have any luck right now.”

Emma Lind led the Lancers with 24 digs and 14 kills. Kailey Westbrooks added 19 digs for South Umpqua and Sydnie Johnson had 29 assists.

Siuslaw keeps a hold on first place in the Far West League with the victory. The Vikings are now alone in first thanks to Douglas’s win over North Bend on Thursday. South Umpqua falls to fifth place in the leauge standings and is now three games out of first.

Up next for the Lady Lancers is a trip to Junction City for a tournament on Saturday.

SCORING
Siuslaw def. SOUTH UMPQUA 25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23 (3-1)