Distractions don't stop Rock Bridge volleyball team

COLUMBIA — "Oh my God! What we're you thinking?"

In its match against East St. Louis on Monday night, the Rock Bridge girls volleyball team struggled at times with its net play, but not nearly as much as it did with the Flyers' junior varsity team, which was watching from the stands.

The players on the JV team were certainly outspoken, and they made sure to point out any mistakes the Bruins made throughout the match. One JV player would yell "Oh my God," and the rest of team would respond shouting, "What we're you thinking?"

The situation posed a new challenge for the Bruins. There were mixed reactions to the rowdy cheering section. Some found it slightly irritating, while others found it humorous. 

When the Bruins' Alexis Granneman tipped a ball over the net and the referee called a lift, awarding the point to East St. Louis, Granneman could not quickly forget about the play.

"You can't do that!," the crowd cheered at Granneman, followed by applause.

"We tried to not get distracted by the cheering," Rock Bridge senior Elise Meyer said. "I thought it was really funny. It was something different. We all had our little  comments on the court about it, but we were not going to allow it to mess up our game."

The Bruins defeated visiting East St. Louis 25-16, 25-19.

While the Bruins did not let the crowd interrupt the game, it was not the best game that the Bruins have played.

"Tonight was not our best," Rock Bridge coach Vicki Reimler said. "To their credit, they had solid control of the net, and so we were not able to swing at the ball like we usually do. We had to find ways to get over the block and place the ball into certain zones."

Rock Bridge plays next against Helias Catholic at 6 p.m. Thursday at Rock Bridge.