Montesano swept Hoquiam in a key 1A Evergreen League matchup as we review Tuesday’s Twin Harbors prep volleyball games.
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Montesano 3, Hoquiam 0
Montesano took advantage of a sluggish Hoquiam team en route to a straight-set victory on Tuesday at Hoquiam High School.
The Bulldogs (4-5 overall, 2-0 1A Evergreen) won by scores of 25-20, 25-14 and 25-23 over the Grizzlies (2-5, 0-1), who never really found their game on Tuesday.
“We really struggled to get anything momentum going tonight. We came out flat and just couldn’t find our groove,” Hoquiam head coach Heather Bozich said. “I know this wasn’t our team and sometimes we have those days, but I have complete faith that we’ll learn from this and rebound stronger.”
Hoquiam was led by sophomore outside hitter Aaliyah Kennedy, who had a double-double with 10 kills and 19 digs in the match, and sophomore libero Avery Brodhead with 12 digs.
The Bulldogs were led by junior setter Makena Blancas, who dished out a game-high 22 assists, five apiece to teammates Grace Gooding, Jordyn ‘JP’ Perry, Dakota Prince and Violet Prince.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano setter Makena Blancas had 22 assists in a straight-set victory over Hoquiam on Tuesday at Hoquiam Square Garden.
Montesano senior libero Bentley Warne added 10 digs to lead a defense that head coach Billie Dickinson said was key to the win.
“We played good defense. That has kind of been the backbone of who we are,” she said. “We were aggressive at the net, which I like to see. I think our net play has improved quite a bit over the past few weeks and we made our serves and took care of the volleyball.
After starting the season losing five out of seven matches, Montesano has now won two straight and appears to have turned a corner after finding some success with wins over Shelton and Battle Ground at the Mark Morris Tournament on Saturday.
“They learned a lot over the weekend, playing that level of competition. I think it was really good for their confidence to know they can be competitive with teams like that,” Dickinson said. “I’m just so proud of my girls. We’ve got a young team and not a ton of varsity experience. … They took their lumps at the start of the season. They just kept showing up and working hard and I’m just really proud they kept the faith.”
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam outside hitter Aaliyah Kennedy (left) had 19 kills in a 3-0 loss to Montesano on Tuesday at Hoquiam High School.
Hoquiam hosts Ilwaco in a non-league game set for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Montesano faces Rochester in a league matchup at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Montesano 25 25 25 – 3
Hoquiam 20 14 23 – 0
Leading players: Montesano – Blancas (22 assists); Warne (10 digs); Gooding (5 kills); Perry (5 kills); V. Prince (5 kills); D. Prince (5 killls). Hoquiam – Kennedy (19 digs, 10 kills); Brodhead (12 digs).
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Raymond-South Bend 3, Chief Leschi 0
Raymond-South Bend showed no signs of fatigue playing in its second match in as many nights as the Ravens dominated Chief Leschi 3-0 on Tuesday at South Bend High School.
The Ravens (4-2, 1-0 2B Pacific) won their 2B Pacific League opener by scores of 25-8, 25-7 and 25-7 over the Warriors (4-4, 1-1).
“It was a total team win. This game was a great opportunity for everyone to get on the court and get playing time,” RSB head coach Julie Jewell said. “We controlled the tempo of the game with our serving and offense. We stayed disciplined and played good volleyball.”
Senior Middle Blocker Kassie Koski had 12 kills and 15 digs fellow senior Ava Baugher added 16 assists, 13 digs and five blocks in the Ravens’ second convincing win in two days.
RSB had nine aces and went 68 of 74 (91.9%) in service as a team.
The RSB JV team won 25-17 and 25-21 on Tuesday.
The Ravens face North Beach in a key league match at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Ocean Shores.
Chief Leschi 8 7 7 – 0
RSB 25 25 25 – 3
Leading players: RSB – Koski (12 kills, block, 18-19 service, 3 aces, 15 digs); Stepp (4 kills, 9-9 service, ace, 8 digs); Baugher (7 kills, 5 blocks, 16 assists, 10-11 service, 13 digs); Enlow (5 kills, 7 digs, 2-3 service); Pine (kill, 2 assists, 3-3 service, 2 digs); Torres Quintana (11 assists, 17-18 service, 3 aces, 3 digs); San (5-6 service, 2 aces, 2 digs); Lewis (2-3 service, 4 digs); White-Kelley (2-2 service, dig); Sedy (assist, 5 digs).
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Ocosta 3, Mary M. Knight 0
Ocosta picked up a key 1B Coastal League win over Mary M. Knight on Tuesday in Westport.
The Wildcats (3-6, 3-4 1B Coastal) defeated the Owls (4-4, 2-4) in straight sets by scores of 25-14, 25-23 and 25-20, with Ava Weimar serving the final six points to over come a 20-19 deficit in Game 3 to secure the victory.
With the win, Ocosta moves a half-game ahead of Mary M. Knight for fourth place in the league standings.
“MMK had some tough servers tonight and made our serve-receive work hard,” Ocosta head coach Erin Snider said. “We got the game won in three sets, but we had to really work to secure the win.”
Ocosta was led by sophomore Bella Pratt (4 aces, 19 digs), junior hitter Veronica Gruber (8 kills), senior Millie Tucker (24-24 service) and junior Ava Tucker (8-8 service, 8 assists).
The Wildcats snapped a three-game skid with the win.
Ocosta plays at Lake Quinault in a league game set for 7 p.m. on Thursday.
MMK 14 23 20 – 0
Ocosta 25 25 25 – 3
Leading players: Ocosta – Gruber (8 kills); Pratt (4 aces, 19 digs); M. Tucker (24-24 service); A. Tucker (8-8 service, 8 assists).
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Other games
Centralia 3, Aberdeen 1
Tenino 3, Elma 0
North Beach 3, Ilwaco 1
Naselle 3, Lake Quinault 0
Taholah 3, Wishkah Valley 0
