Sweet Home’s volleyball team won its league opener at La Pine Tuesday, Sept. 17, then came home to a loss against Sisters to leave the Huskies 1-1 a week into the league season.
Sweet Home 3, La Pine 0
Sweet Home won the first game 25-9, eked out a 26-24 win in the second game, then finished off the Hawks 25-18.
Coach Alicia Meier said the Huskies experimented with a different line-up in the second game, a 6-2 formation with two setters, which opened the door for the Hawks, who, she said, are “improved a lot from last year.”
“They kind of came on (in Game 2),” she said. “We gave them a little bit of momentum. Their hitters started hitting well.”
Jordan Miller led Sweet Home with nine kills and two blocks from the middle, while Amanda Hubbard finished with seven kills, five aces and two blocks. Harley Brendle added five kills.
Sisters 3, Sweet Home 0
Against the Outlaws, Sweet Home never scored more than 15 points, losing 25-7 in the first game, 25-11 in the second and 25-15 in the third.
“Sisters is a huge hurdle for these girls,” Meier said. “They think they’re invincible or something. Sisters is tough, but I think Philomath is better. They play at a much faster pace.”
She said she has told her team, which hosts Junction City Tuesday evening and travels to Cottage Grove Thursday, that they need to focus on better serving and serve-receive.
Sisters Tournament
The Huskies also played at the Sisters Tournament Saturday, but “it wasn’t a good day,” Meier said.
Brendle injured an ankle, which gave junior varsity players Josie Knight and Madisen Barringer a chance to get some varsity action, but Sweet Home did not win a game all day, as it faced Estacada, Vail and Banks.
“There were some really good teams there,” Meier said.