Toledo
Ashlee Flanagan was Thursday’s secret weapon in a five-game scrap at home with Toledo.
The Huskies netters lost the opening game 25-20, won the second and third 25-21 and lost the fourth 25-20. The Huskies capped the match off with a 15-5 win.
“They were just so scrappy,” Coach Heidi Nichol said of Toledo. The team kept digging everything up and sending it back, making the Huskies work and commit errors.
“We won, and that’s good,” Coach Nichol said. “I know we can do better, and the team knows that too.”
Nicki Emmert fed hitters 25 assists on the game. Flanagan led hitting with 10 kills followed by Chelsea Gagner with nine.
“Really Ashlee was the player they just couldn’t stop,” Coach Nichol said. “When we fed it to her there in the middle, they were never able to return anything.”
Kari McGuyre and Elissa McCartin also played well adding hits to the Husky stat sheet.
Hannah Swanson and Flanagan scored four blocks each at the net.
Also on defense, McCartin had 18 digs. Michelle Cliver had 16.
The team is showing improvement in serve receive, Coach Nichol said.
Swanson had a big night serving, Coach Nichol said. “She hasn’t started but she came in and did a great job. She served us back into a couple of different games.”
Swanson served 11-12 with eight aces to lead in serving. McGuyre served 15-18.
“We were struggling in the fourth game,” Coach Nichol said. “(Swanson) came back and served a number of points. We lost but had the momentum going, and that’s why we were able to come back out and win the fifth game.”
The game showed the Huskies’ depth, Coach Nichol said. “There’s always somebody that can do somebody else’s job, so they need to play with confidence and also a sense of responsibility to get the job done. Even the bench can do it.”
The junior varsity defeated Toledo in two games, 25-9 and 25-4.
The Huskies hold a 1-1 record.
Philomath
The Huskies lost a four-game match Tuesday at Philomath, losing 25-17, winning 25-21, losing 27-25 and losing 25-21.
Emmert had 24 assists, where the hitter is able to put away her sets. Hitting McGuyre and McCartin led the Huskies with seven kills each.
Gagner led the team in digs with 29. McCartin added 24 digs.
Serving defined the game, Coach Nichol said. “We were lollipopping them over or we were just missing.”
The Huskies missed 16 serves, which all translate into points for the other team. Cliver served 12-12, and Emmert served 23-29 with seven aces to lead Husky serving.
After winning the second game, the Huskies held a strong lead in the third, Coach Nichol said. “We really let that game slip away from us. We had that whole game. We let it get away from us.” I see this is a learning experience for us.”