Fatima’s varsity volleyball team went winless during a demanding four-match week, but Coach Ellie Crede said the stretch provided lessons the Lady Comets can carry into the final portion of the season.

Fatima opened on Sept. 28 with a five-set loss at Father Tolton, falling 16-25, 25-23, 26-24, 14-25, 9-15. Addie Lehmen led the offense with nine kills, while Lizzie Wingrath and Emma Voss added eight apiece. Ella Scheppers distributed 32 assists.

The Lady Comets then fell at Sullivan 19-25, 9-25, 11-25 on Sept. 29 before dropping a three-set match at Blair Oaks on Oct. 1 and closing the week with a loss at Stover.

“This week was a challenging one for our team, as we were unable to come away with a win,” Crede said. “However, I think there is a lot that can be taken away from a week like this. We faced some tough competition and were put into situations that tested us both physically and mentally.”

Crede said one of the biggest lessons has been learning how to respond when momentum turns against the Lady Comets.

“Volleyball can be a very emotional and momentum-driven game, and learning how to reset, communicate and continue competing through stressful situations is an important part of our growth,” she said.

Although the results did not produce a victory, Crede said each match gave Fatima another opportunity to identify what needs improvement while continuing to build on its strengths.

“As we move forward, our focus will be on continuing to grow, stay together and use these difficult moments to make us better moving into the final stretch of the season,” she said.

Fatima’s junior varsity team had a much different week, winning three of four road matches.

The Lady Comets defeated Father Tolton 25-20, 25-15 on Sept. 28 and Sullivan 25-22, 25-19 the following night before falling to Blair Oaks 20-25, 21-25 on Oct. 1. Fatima responded one night later with a 25-13, 25-10 victory over Stover.

“Every time these girls take the court, they are showing great improvements and settling into their given roles,” JV Coach Tracy Quinn said. “Our sophomores continue to get better with their leadership skills, and our freshmen are finding their groove and performing very well, which makes this team gel amazingly well.”

Quinn was particularly pleased with the response following the loss at Blair Oaks.

“We lost a tough match to Blair Oaks on Thursday but bounced back on Friday to dominate the match against Stover,” he said. “As we enter our last few weeks of the season, I am confident that our skills will continue to grow.”

Fatima’s C-team also faced four consecutive road matches before finishing the week Saturday at the Hickman freshman tournament.

After wins at Father Tolton and Sullivan, the Lady Comets were forced to adjust their lineup against Blair Oaks following an injury. Coach Greg Wingrath said the disruption showed in the opening set before Fatima settled in after another adjustment.

“I was happy with the way they competed in the second set after the first set was so rough,” Wingrath said.

Fatima bounced back at Stover, where the Lady Comets controlled the opening set before experimenting with a 6-2 offense in the second. “Any time you make a lineup change it can stress them out, but they did a great job of pushing through and supporting each other,” Wingrath said.

With its lineup back at full strength Saturday, Fatima opened the Hickman tournament against Blair Oaks. The Lady Comets dropped the first set 16-25 before answering with a 25-22 victory that Wingrath called their best set of the season.

Fatima followed by splitting with Rock Bridge, losing 18-25 before winning 25-16, then fell to eventual tournament champion Hannibal 16-25, 17-25. The Lady Comets swept Battle to finish third in pool play.

Fatima then rallied past Capital City 17-25, 25-21, 15-8 before another loss to Hannibal, 18-25, 15-25. The Lady Comets closed the tournament against top-seeded Hickman, recovering from a 23-25 opening loss to dominate the second set 25-11 before taking the third 15-11.

“I can’t be prouder of how they played all day and the improvement that they have made, especially after the rough week that we had,” Wingrath said. “Every girl on this team contributed in so many ways. The energy was high, they supported each other on the good plays and picked each other up when those times occurred too. Fatima is lucky to have these girls in our program.”