The Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners can probably identify with the Zephyr girls volleyball team as both are looking to make the most of a little open space.

That was the case in Whitehall's match versus Pleasant Valley High School last week as the Zephs had trouble putting the ball down against the Bears, losing in four games 25-16, 17-25, 19-25, 16-25.

It's been their nemesis all season, something that head coach Rob Gardner saw again when they tangled with the team from the Mountain Valley Conference. They could get the ball up on most occasions, but when it came time to get the ball over the net into an open area, they had difficulty.

"We're not converting that third hit," said Gardner. "And that's what we got to do."

The Zephs got off to a good start, winning the first game as their front line rose to the occasion. It was a matter of simply finding those cracks in the Bear defense.

"Our hitters put the ball on the floor," Gardner said. "We had Madison [Scarfaro] score five or six kills with only one error."

Gardner contrasted that first win with the last game in which they committed 19 errors.

"We gave them 19 to 25 points," said Gardner. "We can't win doing that,"

He said one of the keys in turning things around is "mentally working through a bad hit, and then hitting the next one on the floor."

He also said that playing smarter is another aspect of their game that will result in more wins. Instead of concentrating on just getting the ball over the net, they need to do a little pre-hit inventory and decide where to place the ball.

"It's, 'I'm going to hit the ball and make sure it goes into a hole, and then I'm going to put it down,'" said Gardner. "We practice this and they do good in practice, but when they get into a game, they lose that focus."

Gardner said that defensively that the team is doing its job, and is looking for the offense to equal that consistency. They also block well at the net, and are adept at getting most balls up for a return, they just need to convert those final strikes into points.

In that game, Scarfaro had one of her best hitting games this season, said Gardner.

"She's finally putting the ball down with some heat on it, and she is continuing to improve," said Gardner. "She was a shining star today."

Gardner said that Rachel Harry and Kelsey Himmelwright also played well.

"They were moving to the ball; they were getting the ball up, getting a lot of digs and making a lot of passes," said Gardner. "They had a good day."

Lindsey Hutterer also played a solid game, ensuring that the team had a chance for a point on nearly every opportunity.

With a young team, especially along the front line, he expects them to steadily progress and attain that "mental discipline" to score when given the chance.

Earlier in the week the Zephs met Easton Area High School and swept the Red Rovers, 25-19, 25-13, 25-22.

The win was a product of them finding those open spaces.

"That was a game where our hitters were hitting the ball," said Gardner. "We didn't give away a ton of points, and we had two hitters that had ten kills."

Both Olivia Bobyak and Brook Mellinger were a force at the net, recording 20 kills between them and helping the Zephs complete the sweep.

"That was the difference in the play," said Gardner.

That win showed they have the ability to hit and score points, something they can build on as the season progresses.

"Everything was clicking," said Gardner. "And I think as they get older, that will continue to improve."

The Zephs are currently 2-6 and will look to raise that total with games against Dieruff and Bethlehem Catholic High Schools this week.