Sweet Home’s volleyball team started its season on a positive note Thursday, Sept. 1, with a 3-2 win over a tough Douglas squad on the road.
“They were a good team,” Coach Mary Hutchins said. “Douglas was very, very scrappy. It was hard to get a ball down on their side of the court. We had many long rallies.”
The Huskies didn’t wilt, even after falling apart in Game 4.
Sweet Home opened with a 25-21 win in the first game, then dropped a 26-24 finish to Douglas in the second before matching that score, this time on top, in the third to lead 2-1.
In the fourth game the Huskies trailed 10-0 when Hutchins called a pair of time-outs to try to set things right, she said. They played point-for-point after that, but lost 25-16.
In the final game, behind 7-5, Sweet Home battled back and pushed through to the end, winning 15-10.
“We played well,” Hutchins said. “We basically played well for four of the five games.”
Kayley Lopez had nine blocks as the Huskies shut down one of Douglas’ best hitters, and Madi Barringer played “a very good match,” the coach said.
Sweet Home, 1-0, is home Tuesday against Stayton this week, then again against Newport on Thursday. Both matches start at 7 p.m. On Saturday the Huskies will play at the Cascade Tournament.