Sweet Home’s volleyball team clinched second place in the final Sky-Em League standings, but thanks to league rules the Huskies now have to play for final league seedings Wednesday night.
The Huskies, whose only two losses in league play were to Sisters (10-0), swept through Cottage Grove, Elmira and LaPine in three games each last week to end the regular season play and will face the winner of a playoff between fourth-place Junction City (4-6) and third-place Elmira (5-5).
If Sweet Home retains its second-place finish, it will face the No. 3 team from the Oregon West Conference, Central (4-4), or Stayton (4-4), on Saturday at home. Oregon West teams still had two matches to play going into this week, including one against each other on Tuesday,, so the Huskies’ opponent may not be determined until Thursday night.
The winners of Saturday’s games will move on to the 16-team state tournament on Nov. 12-13.
Coach Alicia Meier said the Huskies are ready for the tournament.
“The thing with this team is they still have so much, potentially, they could achieve,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how they play in the playoffs, in state. We’re coming together at the right time. It’s exciting, wher e they are at right now, how they’ve been playing the last few games.”
Sweet Home 3, LaPine 0
The Huskies dispatched LaPine 25-13, 25-21 and 25-19 to keep the Hawks winless and finish out the regular season Saturday afternoon at home.
“LaPine is one of those teams, they do great things followed by bad stuff,” Meier said. “They’re not consistent. They had moments when they played really well. “
Annie Whitfield led Sweet Home with nine kills and eight digs, while Brandi Trewin added seven kills and three blocks.
Sweet Home 3, Elmira 0
The Huskies started strong Thursday, Oct. 21, at Elmira before the hosts woke up and made a game of it –_a trend that occurred in all three of their matches last week, Meier said.
Scores were 25-13, 25-19 and 25-20.
“We just came out really focused and the other team steps up,” she said. “We’re all just kind of picking it up and realizing that we can do it, that we’re a good team.”
Trewin led the team with nine kills, five blocks and 11 digs, while Sonya Corliss and Megan Graville added eight kills, along with four and two blocks respectively.
Sweet Home 3, Cottage Grove 0
At Cottage Grove on Tuesday, it was more of the same.
The Huskies won the first game 25-11 before the Lions made it a little closer, 25-20. Then Sweet Home turned up the heat and finished the hosts off, 25-15.
Trewin and Devyn Makin had nine kills each to lead the Huskies, and Trewin added three blocks. Corliss finished with seven kills and eight blocks, while Ashley Cochran contributed 28 assists.
“Overall, we played really well as a team,” Meier said. “The last time we played Cottage Grove they had some really tough serving. We were able to pass this time.”