But just not as consistently as coach Susie Hughlett would like to see.

Temple was swept by Burnet 25-23, 25-19, 21-25, 25-12 and Cedar Park Vista Ridge 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20 on Tuesday night at Wildcat Gym.

“I can handle that, any day of the week - playing hard and staying with it and not having too many mental lapses,” Hughlett said. “That’s what we need to be working on every single day. I don’t care if we win or lose right now; that’s how we need to practice.”

The progress wasn’t quite as evident in the first match against Class 3A Burnet.

After dropping the first game, the Tem-Cats (3-10) had the momentum late in the second game. Senior Kacie Easley’s kill gave Temple an 18-16 lead after errors cost the Tem-Cats their early advantage.

But after Easley’s kill, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 9-1 run to close out the game.

Five of those points came on Tem-Cat errors.

Temple jumped to a 9-1 lead in the third game, needing a win to survive.

Senior Jordan Pickett had six of her team-high 15 kills in the third game as Temple seemed to take control.

But in the fourth game, that momentum disappeared quickly. Temple never really was in it, with errors accounting for four of Burnet’s final five points.

Patti Kabobel led the Tem-Cats with 15 digs and also had two aces and nine kills. Easley had nine kills, 15 digs. Kaitlin Muniz had an ace, five kills and eight digs.

The ugly finish in the final game coupled with a similar finish in the second drew Hughlett’s ire in between matches.

“We just need to eliminate our mistakes and if we ball like I know we can play ball . . . we’re going to be OK,” she said.

Against Vista Ridge, the Tem-Cats trailed throughout and dropped the first game.

Temple rebounded with a pair of Pickett kills to lead off a win in the second game.

But just like before, against Burnet, it was tough to carry that momentum in the next game.

Another poor start had Temple in trouble in third game, but a block by Kabobel and kill by Erika Allen helped Temple in a 6-1 run to tie it at 10.

That wouldn’t last long. After trading errors in the middle of the game, Vista Ridge used a 9-2 run to close out a win for a 2-1 advantage.

Vista Ridge used another late run helped by Temple errors to close out a win in the fourth game.

Pickett finished with a team-high 17 kills, eight assists, 11 digs and two blocks. Easley had an ace, three kills, nine digs. Kabobel had an ace, eight kills and eight digs.

Despite the loss against Vista Ridge, Hughlett said she hoped her team would take the positives it gained from that match.

The biggest part, she said, is simply focus.

“We can play with anybody if they have the right mindset and do the little things correctly,” Hughlett said.

Temple opens play Thursday in the Gatesville Tournament at 8 a.m. against Rogers.