Aztec Volleyball Not 'OK' with September Slump

I took a trip inside The Jungle today for interviews related to this week's Prep Newsmaker on Aztec volleyball's Brianne Polledo.

Part of the reason we chose Polledo was Aztec's rise in District 1-4A, including a win over previously unbeaten Piedra Vista.

But Aztec went 2-4 during a September stretch, including a 3-0 loss to Bloomfield.

"We had car wrecks, we had broken thumbs, we had wisdom teeth, three of them got the flu," coach Anna Strauss said.

Asked if the collection of misfortune came at a good point in the season, as the Lady Tigers are peaking during district play, the team wasn't biting.

"If it had to happen at all, it could've happened in the summer," Strauss said, laughing.

Polledo said you never want to have a down stretch, no matter the circumstances, but found a silver lining.

"It makes us feel that we're the underdogs. That we have to kind of prove to everybody because nobody really knows," Polledo said.

"You want to play your best all the time, but being the underdog makes you want to play so much harder to prove to everybody that you actually are (good)."