After falling to Valley Catholic the previous Saturday, Sept. 21, for their first loss of the volleyball season, Sweet Home went back to work last week, scoring a 3-0 win over an inexperienced Cascade team on the road Monday night, Sept. 23, then beating archrival Sisters 3-0 at home Thursday, to stay undefeated in Oregon West play through the first half of the league season.
Against Cascade, the Huskies were dominant, winning 25-13, 25-17, 25-7.
“Cascade is young and it’s a building year for them,” Coach Mary Hutchins said. “We were able to try lots of lineups and it was a good night of volleyball from all our players.”
Sisters, she said, was an opponent the Huskies had been “building up to the whole season.”
“The anticipation was great on both sides.”
Sweet Home got a chance to scout the Outlaws, who won their own tournament the previous Saturday after both Sweet Home and Valley Catholic fell in the championship round. Hutchins said the loss to the defending state champions was due in part to “several crucial mistakes near the end of the game, and two calls that went against us. We did not play our best.”
The Huskies practiced for two days straight on ways to combat Sisters’ habits and the plays the Outlaws were running, she said, allowing them to run an effective offense that proved successful.
“We practiced lineups and defensive positions and the girls came out and executed,” Hutchins said. “I was so proud of the girls to come out so strong and excited to play. They played so well as a team and our whole team stepped up the way I had hoped they would. They celebrated points, executed on defense, served tough, and most of all were mentally strong and determined to win.”
She said the three-set win, 25-17, 25-20, 25-23, was an “accomplishment” – the first time in Hutchins career with the Huskies that Sweet Home has been able to do that.
“I expect that the next time we meet it will be an all-out battle,” she said. “They will be prepared and so will we, and it will be a big game for our league standings. They are a tough team and need to be respected.”
Sweet Home, now ranked No. 2 behind Valley Catholic, has faced eight of the top 12 ranked teams in the state this season, two – Sisters (No. 4) and Philomath (No. 8) – from the Oregon West League.
Next up for the Huskies is Newport (3-8, 2-3) at home on Tuesday, Oct. 1, followed by Woodburn (0-5, 1-9) on the road Thursday and at tournament in Junction City on Satruday, Oct. 5.