BROCKTON, Mass - After surrendering an early first game lead, the Tigers rallied to win game one 25-19, only to lose the next three games, despite being two points away from forcing a game five. With the 3-1 to Brockton, Taunton falls to 7-5 and just 1-4 in their last five games.
"I think there's just a frustration level right now for some reason," Taunton head coach Toby Chaperon said. "I think some kids aren't getting the swings they want to get and these kids are so hyper-competitive that they're blaming themselves and sometimes they're pointing fingers and that bogs us down a little big."
Taunton jumped out to a 7-3 start in game one, only to see the Boxers rally to take an 8-7 lead. The Tiger's responded with a 6-0 run, behind two kills from senior Mike Shaheen. The teams traded points before Taunton finished the game, winning 25-19.
Game two started even but Brockton had three kills in a row from three different players to extend their lead to 10-4. The Tigers didn't have an answer defensively, and Brockton ended game two on a 7-0 run, winning game two 25-14 off two straight aces.
Frustration truly set in for the Tigers in game three, giving Brockton almost half of their first 15 points with five unforced errors and two serving errors. A 5-3 run got Taunton yet again within four at 18-14, but Brockton scored seven of game three's last eight points to take a 2-1 lead behind a 25-15 win.
Taunton started to play with confidence again in game four and it translated into success, with the Tigers jumping out to a 5-1 lead - something Chaperon hopes his players can recognize.
"I think we have to get the fun back in the game. They're playing miserable in some aspect. I know they have a high expectation to make the state tournament, it'd be the first time since 2007, and I think that's some pressure on them. We're 7-5 right now and we're three games away and there's not an easy game and we know that."
Taunton returns to action to play their second game against Milford this season, hosting the Hawks on Thursday. Milford swept the first meeting, 3-0.