Philomath 11, 14, 25, 21
Sweet Home 25, 25, 22, 25
The Huskies volleyball team defeated Philomath at home in four games Thursday night, 25-11, 25-14, 22-25, 25-21, to notch the first of the victories it will need to finish third in the Val-Co and earn a spot in state playoffs.
“Finally, our offense was coming together better,” Coach Debbie Danielson said. “We were passing better. We were very encouraging and excited out on the court.”
The team changed up some positions, she said, and the Huskies were hitting better.
Jess Seiber stepped up to lead the Huskies with 12 kills.
Michelle Morneault and Hilary McCartin each added five kills, and Sam Johnson had four.
“It’s pretty good to move it around,” Danielson said. Morneault and McCartin contributed six blocks each on the defensive end.
The Philomath Warriors managed to win a close third game.
“I think they were just on fire the first two games, and they just let up a little,” Danielson said of the Huskies.
Philomath took advantage of it, she said. “They’re scrappy. They always dig up stuff, but they aren’t always offensive.”
The Warriors also tend to go to one person all the time, Danielson said.
Philomath didn’t finish quietly, contesting the last few points strongly.
At the end, “I think they just really wanted it,” Danielson said. “They do have a lot of heart,” like the Huskies.
Serving, Paige Niemi served 20-20 with two aces to lead the Huskies. Johnson served 18-21 with two aces. The team had 17 aces.
“We didn’t miss a whole lot of serves, and we were serving fairly tough,” Danielson said.
Passing was better in this game too, with Sarah Rosa working as libero, she said. Rosa dug the ball up eight times.
On Sept. 25, the Huskies traveled to Central, losing 25-6, 25-15, 25-14.
“Central was just a really slow game,” Danielson said. “They’re pretty strong.
“The first game, nothing; but the second and third, we had some rallies and dug up some serves.”