KNIGHTDALE - A loss is a loss in the eyes of Knightdale volleyball coach Sally Combs, but she said beginning a three-game sweep at the hands of Clayton with two 27-25 losses is a step in the right direction for the 0-6 Lady Knights.

That's tough to say after falling to Harnett Central the week before and to West Johnston last Tuesday, both matches dropped in three games. But Combs said maturity within the game may be on the rise. Having that is something she's preached to her young team throughout the season.

"We're still making the vital mistakes and we've got to stop. We're still making two, three, four, five mistakes in a row, and it's not the same girls, it's different girls, and that's what we have to stop," Combs said after Thursday's matchup versus the Comets.

On the brighter end of the spectrum she said the situation is improving, noting her group is doing things other programs aren't doing, but the translation needs to be made from practice to game time.

"In practice we don't hit the ball out," she said. "It's a learning experience, but we've got to learn how to finish a game. That's one of our obstacles right now. We're not putting the finishing touches on the game. We'll get ahead a little bit and then just sit back on our heels. That's the competitive drive we're missing and I'm trying to instill and get going with them."

Knightdale was in the first two games throughout. The team opened with a 5-1 lead in the first game, but later fell behind to a 19-10 Comet advantage. As Combs pointed out, a series of deep and wide shots was to blame.

The home team rallied from 20-11 to 20-16, highlighted by streak of saves by lone senior Shemicka Washington, an ace from Dee Taylor and a stuff from freshman Amber Wright.

After Washington dinked past the Clayton line to tie at 25, the Comets were able to turn a pair of Knightdale errors into a win.

The Knights were either tied with or trailed the Comets in game two for all but a 3-2 lead. Despite five aces - three from Kaylyn Fisher, one from C.J. Moose and another from Lexi Brock - poor communication was the poison. Brock stuffed at the net to send game two to overtime at 25-25, but Clayton sophomore Sam Daughtry's firm serve evaded a return from Moose after Clayton made light of calamity the point before.

Clayton (3-8, 3-3) outscored the Knights 11-4 down the stretch of the final game to secure the win. Once again, Knightdale attacks flew long.

With junior Brock, one of Knightdale's more experienced attackers, returning to the court after a brief leave of sickness the team functioned a bit more at its normal pace against Clayton. Combs said her deceptive speed and athletic ability took a toll as the visitors worked to close each of the three games.

"It's huge having her back," Combs said, even though Brock, too, was guilty of power-control issues. "She's a great player in multiple positions, and I may start playing her in a couple other positions because we're hurting in a couple spots right now."

Against all negativity, Combs sees improvement - even if it doesn't show up on the scoreboard. Her hope is that growth to continue and for the team to be competitive come tournament time.

"It's not always about the W's," she said. "The growth in the game and how the girls are growing and responding is what counts now."

The team faced East Wake Monday in Wendell. Results were not available at press time.