Their record doesn’t show it – yet, but Sweet Home’s volleyball players are proving they can hold their own with anybody.
The Huskies won their pool Saturday at the Cascade Tournament, beating Madras twice and splitting with Tillamook and Stayton to earn a spot in the championship bracket against No. 14 Scappoose.
Though Sweet Home lost 2-1 to 14th-ranked Scappoose, it wasn’t without a fight – 23-25, 25-22, 15-10.
“The whole match, we just battled and battled,” Coach Mary Hutchins said. “We were competing.
“We walked into that gym ranked 37th. Every team in the finals was ranked in the top 15.”
She said her players noticed the Indians had beaten Junction City, which will host the Huskies Tuesday evening in the first league matchup for both teams. The Tigers are listed at 9-0 (pool play doesn’t count in win-loss records), while Sweet Home is 1-3.
But the Huskies have played all of their matches this season on the road, all against top-25 teams, and both of their early losses were battles that left them on the short end of scores that could have gone either way.
Sweet Home 3, Stayton 1
Sweet Home came out on top of a 25-13, 25-23, 20-25, 25-14 score and although the Huskies “lost focus a little bit” in Game 3 of the match, the rest of their night at Stayton on Thursday, Sept. 10, was pretty convincing, Hutchins said.
In Game 4, with the score tied at 12-12, she suggested that her team slam the door – and they did.
“I felt like we should have won that game and I said, ‘If you guys want to win this game, let’s win it,” she said.
Sweet Home allowed the hosts just two points as they rolled to the win. Hutchins said the Huskies are serving “very well” and battling for points.
Corbett 3, Sweet Home 2
That was the case at Corbett on Tuesday, Sept. 8 – a team Sweet Home has not beaten in nine years.
Though the Cardinals came out on top in a 3-2 match, the 25-23, 25-15, 24-26, 20-25, 20-22 score tells the story.
“We battled for two hours,” Hutchins said. “It was a really long drive and the gym was so hot. The whole game was a battle.
“It was amazing. We played with so much intensity and focus and energy. Our serving was great. It could have gone either way. It didn’t go our way, unfortunately.”
The Huskies have two more road games, at Junction City and at Sisters this week before they finally get to play on their own floor when they host Sutherlin Tuesday, Sept. 22.
“It should be an interesting week,” Hutchins said. “The schedule has been brutal. We’re tired of traveling.
“But right now, I honestly feel we’re playing really well as a team. All the games are just so tight.”