The Catasauqua girls’ volleyball team has had a rough start to their season.

The team has lost their first four games but were hoping to turn things around on Thursday Sept. 14, when they played hosts to Southern Lehigh (2-2). The Rough Riders unfortunately would have a tough time against the Spartans, who wanted to continue their two-game winning streak.

The first set of this match saw Southern Lehigh dominate. Catasauqua couldn’t do much and only could muster up taking four points in the set. The Spartans were very sharp from the beginning and through the match.

Cortney Kylish and Brianna West both played a big part in the Spartans success. They both had four kills throughout the match.

After the first set, the Rough Riders didn’t roll over in the second or third sets. They came out with more intensity and made it more difficult for the Spartans to win points. Catasauqua played in longer rallies and made less mistakes as the match went on; but ultimately Southern Lehigh won in straight sets. The Rough Riders played hard and gave it a great effort but they will need to play better in their upcoming matches if they want to get their first win of the season.

Head coach for Catasauqua, Danielle Heller, knew this match wasn’t going to be easy.

“[The match] was tough. We struggled early but played much better in the second set,” she said. The team needs to improve on a couple of details in their game in order to win their first match of the season.

“We can improve on serving and receiving. Also we need to work on getting behind the ball,” Heller said.

The Rough Riders have some good opportunities to get their first win in their upcoming matches.

Catasauqua will host Saucon Valley on Sept. 18, as the Panthers have a losing record. Heller was optimistic about Saucon Valley.

“We have some good chances to win. Last year we played a good game against Saucon Valley, we kept up with them last time. These games give us a chance to compete,” she said.