Ken Roberts
For The New Era
Just when it seemed the Sweet Home volleyball team was about to give in to Newport Wednesday night, Oct. 8, they decided to play their best volleyball of the year.
After losing the first two games by identical scores of 25-20 to the Cubs, the Huskies stormed back with a 25-22 hard-fought battle and then demolished Newport in the fourth game, 25-13. Unfortunately, it left the young Huskies’ adrenaline tank on empty and unable to put together a challenge in the final game, losing 15-6.
In the first game, Sweet Home went through an extended period in the middle of the game of not being able to hit or receive well. Despite a five-kill performance by Emili Riggs, the Huskies faltered under the solid blocking performance of Newport during much of the game.
The Huskies never had their engine firing in game two. A variety of mistakes turned into a 1-8 margin at the beginning of the game, from which they never recovered.
Sweet Home began their surge in game three with Paige Niemi racking up three kills early to stake the Huskies to a 6-1 lead. The Cubs, however, put together a 9-2 run and the two teams alternated taking the lead until they were tied at 16.
Newport then made three errors to give Sweet Home some daylight that they never relinquished. Sam Johnson had two important kills late to put the Huskies up two at game point. On the final point, Annie Whitfield made what seemed like an impossible save off the floor on a Cub blocked tip, and Newport’s next hit went wide off the net.
“These kids don’t give up,” said coach Debbie Danielson. “They have a lot of desire.”
Then came the Sweet Home onslaught. At 6-6, with Johnson serving well, the Huskies exploded with a Riggs kill, two more kills by Hillary McCartin, and two tough serves that the Cubs couldn’t handle.
After giving up a couple of points, Tiffany Miller stepped up to the service line and didn’t step away until she had served for 8 points. Miller’s serves were constantly on the back line and took Newport out of their offense and into a bevy of blunders. Johnson earned the final point after another great save by Milller.
Danielson felt that the Sweet Home offensive attack improved as the game went along with kills spread out among several of the Huskies. She also noted, due to the absence of setter Alisha Huschka, that Miller was able to thrive leading the single setter offense after the first game.
“We couldn’t have had the offense we had without her,” Danielson emphasized. “Newport didn’t play as well as they usually do, but I think our attack did that to them.”
The defense was solid throughout the third and fourth games, retrieving ball after ball and making great reactions that led to spectacular saves.
“We didn’t have many mistakes,” noted middle blocker Hillary McCartin, speaking about their two game resurgence. “We were all on our A game. We wanted it so bad.”
In the final game, it may have been a matter of uncontrolled nerves. Sweet Home struggled to keep the ball in play, often netting hits or hitting the ball long. Newport didn’t have much to do except take the gifts and leave town with a sigh of relief. McCartin led the Huskies with two kills.
“We just froze,” stated McCartin simply. “It was like we were thinking we had never won before.”
With the loss, any chance of the Huskies getting into the state playoffs disappeared.
After playing Central on Tuesday night, they finish out the season with a home contest Thursday against Philomath and visit Taft in the season finale next Tuesday.
McCartin thinks the Newport game will give them renewed incentive.
“Even if we’re not going to get a prize,” said McCartin, “we’re going to prove we are going to be hard to beat next year. We’re going to get where we want to be.”