Consistency was absent for Diamond Bar’s volleyball team in a 3-2 loss to the Rowland Raiders on Thursday. Although a strong effort, the same energy played in the first set was not continuous, ultimately leading to a loss.

The Lady Brahmas played the first set with unmatched intensity, taking the first set with a whopping score of 25-9. The offense was flowing while the defense was nearly impeccable. When the Lady Brahmas play the way they did in the first set every game in the season, they will be a tough team to beat. With overflowing confidence from the first set, DB let the second set slip away 25-21. The Raiders hit the Lady Brahmas by surprise as the Raiders came out with a different mentality that outplayed DB.

“Well we lost the game in five. We went out strong in the first game and killed them. Then the second game we just stopped played. We got complacent. The girls expected an easy win and didn’t think they would have to play and it backfired,” coach Erica Hansen said.

After a lackluster performance from DB in the second set, the Lady Brahmas seemed as if they changed their play. Winning the third set 25-16, DB had the lead. However, once again, the Lady Brahmas failed to keep hold of the lead as the Raiders came back in the fourth set with a higher intensity level than DB. The match was tied at 2-2.

The fifth and final set was a low scoring event. Both teams had trouble getting their offense to flow. However, the Raiders had the edge in this set, winning 16-14. The match was over and it was a learning experience for the Lady Brahmas as they work on their consistency and energy level.

“Our problem is that we always come out strong then have this huge drop in the next game. They don’t have the same energy throughout. We had only dropped one game so far, and that was to the toughest team in our league. Hopefully the girls learn from this and we don’t drop another game to a weak team,” Hansen said.

Senior Tia Hernandez led DB in kills. Junior Jessica Pierce was also notable for her consistent play throughout the game. Senior Hayley Everhart served well and sophomore captain Morgan Dempsey set well. Senior Anna Vorkink led the team with 54 blocks. Pierce also had 15 serving aces while Dempsey had 230 assists.

The Lady Brahmas are now preparing for the upcoming matches against Bonita, West Covina, Los Altos, and compete in the Gabrielino Tournament. A portion of the season is  gone and the CIF is right around the corner. DB takes this loss as a learning experience and work towards success for the remainder of the season., trying to go farther in the playoffs.