By GEORGE KUNKE
South Bend played well in two relatively easy wins over Raymond and North Beach last week in volleyball. The Lady Indians disposed of both opponents in straight sets. Coach Jackie Sanchez’s squad also competed at the Adna tourney and captured third place.
South Bend toppled Raymond 25-17, 25-14, 25-17 last Tuesday night (Oct. 22) at Seagull Gym.
“The girls played very well tonight,” Coach Sanchez told the Herald. “We played consistent and had good communication throughout the match. We had a powerful night at the attack line led by Makenzie Russell's 9 kills (9 blocks) and Kessa Wilson (9 blocks), and Kathryn Staats, and Katlyn Sawyer each hitting 4 kills. Our back row players, Maddie Klus, Emily Sanchez, Alison Funkhouser, Russell, and Morgan Patterson, all had a solid night on serve-receive and defensively, while Funkhouser and Sanchez did a solid job of setting up the offense.”
Lady Indians 3
North Beach 0
South Bend dumped North Beach 26-24, 25-8, 25-10 last Thursday at Koplitz Field House.
“We started the night out playing really well, then went into kind of a lull midway through game one, which allowed the Hyaks to catch up and gain the lead,” Coach Sanchez said. “I was proud of our girls for staying focused, not getting rattled, and coming back to regain the lead for the win in game one. We played focused and played to win in games two and three. I like how our girls are responding to momentum shifts at this point in the season.
“Makenzie Russell played really tough at the net coming away with 15 kills and 4 blocks,” Coach Sanchez noted. “Also having a good night at the net were Katlyn Sawyer (6 kills), Kessa Wilson (5 kills and 4 blocks), and Emily Sanchez (3 kills). Leading us in the back row was Maddie Klus with 7 digs and 16 for 18 serving. Sanchez and Alison Funkhouser were solid setting.”
Adna Tournament
“We went 5-2 in pool play (losing to Mossyrock and Adna), and we were seeded fourth going into the bracket play,” Coach Sanchez reported. “We started off with Toutle Lake in the semi-final match. I thought we played tough, but were plagued with too many unforced errors. We lost 18-25 and 20-25. We then went to play in the third and fourth place match against Adna. We won 25-15 and 25-20. We had fantastic play by everyone all day long. It was a tough tournament, and I think we became better game-by-game in this tournament. It was a fun day!”
The Lady Indians played at Willapa Valley Monday and close out the regular season at home against Naselle tonight. The District IV Volleyball Tournament opens November 5, and continues November 7 and 9. The State tourney is November 15-16 at Yakima.