The Pike County Lady Bulldogs fell in straight sets 17-25, 21-25, and 9-25 against Houston Academy on Monday.

The Bulldogs (3-8) fought hard, but it wasn’t enough to knock off the second place team in the area.

“We played the second seed in the area,” said Bulldogs head coach Todd Reynolds. “We represented well. They were just really precise today. They had a number of line shots. They were a very precise team.”

Houston Academy’s execution gave the Bulldogs problems throughout the night.

“They can kill you in a different way than Providence would,” Reynolds said. “Providence just beats you up while Houston Academy just out-executes you. They made a lot of shots on the line.”

The Bulldogs did see some success. “We had really good communication,” Reynolds said. “We had a number of kills tonight. We battled well. It’s just when you play those really good teams they make you pay for your mistakes. We reduced our mistakes and made them earn it.”

Sophomore Precious Vaznaian led the way in kills with 10.  Senkeithia Thompson had 10 service points.

The Bulldogs return home today to take on Abbeville in their final home match of the season.

“We are such a young team,” Reynolds said. “Everyone of my players is coming back next year. The main goal is for us to keep getting better. If they can keep their attitude positive they are going to surprise some people maybe even this year.”

The junior varsity Bulldogs begin play at 4:30 p.m. The varsity squad will begin shortly after.