By JONATHAN HULL
Sports Editor
Big Spring's Lady Steers had their work cut out for them on the volleyball court at Steer Gym Monday as two different opponents came calling.

The results were mixed as the Lady Steers handled Crane in four sets and then fell to Wink in straight sets.

The Lady Steers played perhaps some of their best volleyball of the season in the first match against Crane as they defeated the Lady Birds, 25-22, 26-24, 27-29, 25-13.

In the first set, the Lady Steers got off to an 8-3 start before seeing Crane go on a 9-2 run and take a 12-10 lead. The Lady Steers were able to tie the game at 21 late and then outscored the Lady Birds down the stretch, 4-1, to take a 1-0 set lead.

The second game was even more of a challenge for the Lady Steers, but some clutch serves by Desiree Anderson lifted them to a 2-0 set lead.

With Big Spring trailing 24-20, Anderson stepped behind the line and utilized a powerful jump serve that kept Crane out of system. She had three aces in the 6-0 run, pushing the Lady Steers within a set of winning the match.

"What I'm more impressed with Desiree than anything is the guts it takes to go back behind the line and just go all out, especially that close to losing the game," said Big Spring Head Coach Lynn Osbourne. "I'm trying to instill in this team to always play all out with intensity."

Crane didn't retire easily and a back-and-forth battle in the third game went the Lady Birds way in the end as they pulled out the 29-27 win to stay alive in the match.

However, the fourth and final set turned out to be the least dramatic as the Lady Steers went on a 14-2 run to take an 17-9 advantage and then coasted to their third victory of the season.

It was a vast improvement from the season opener in Sweetwater last week and Osbourne credits the team with figuring out what it takes to compete.

"I think the No. 1 thing for this team's improvement is they've relaxed," said Osbourne. "At the start of the season, they were playing too tense and were afraid of making mistakes. The No. 2 thing is our transition and defense has improved greatly over the past couple weeks."

Wink (10-0) had more to offer than Crane did as the Lady Cats defeated the Lady Steers, 25-13, 25-19, 25-17.

However, Osbourne felt the Lady Steers were wearing down after having already played six matches in the past four days.

"I just don't think the girls were awake. I think they were very tired," said Osbourne. "We've been playing so many days in a row with the tournament we had over the weekend as well. I think I'm seeing this team get fatigued. We're probably going to need to take a little time off Wednesday and get them a good day of rest before we go to the San Angelo tournament."

Wink was dominant in the opening set, jumping out to an 11-4 lead and never taking its foot off the gas in a 25-13 win.

The Lady Steers put up more of a fight in the final two sets, though. In the second game, Big Spring got out to a hot start, leading 7-3. However, Wink answered with a 12-4 rally, taking a 15-11 advantage.

The Lady Steers kept within at least three for most of the remainder of the set, but a late Wink surge propelled the Lady Cats to a 25-19 victory.

In the final set, the Lady Steers went down 10-4 at the start, but an 8-2 rally later in the match tied the game at 16. Wink went on to win nine of the next 10 points, though, to remain undefeated on the season.

"The effort in the second and third sets showed me these girls care enough to battle back," said Osbourne. "I think they were really trying to get up, but they were worn out."

The Lady Steers will take part in the Nita Vannoy Tournament in San Angelo beginning Friday. It was unclear as of press time as to who and when the Lady Steers would be playing.

The tournament proves the Lady Steers with more opportunities to continue working on several facets of they game as they prepare for the district season.

"We're going to see some really good team in San Angelo. It will be some very high-powered volleyball," said Osbourne. "I want to continue working on our momentum control, our transition, our passing and our blocking. We need a lot of work on blocking. We'll definitely be spending a heavy amount of time on blocking in practice. It's important to get these things taken care of now so that we're ready when district gets here."