Ocosta threw a monkey wrench in the 2B Pacific League standings with a nail-biting 3-2 victory over Northwest Christian on Wednesday in Westport.
Playing for the third time in as many days, Ocosta (5-5 overall, 5-4 2B Pacific) earned a 25-19, 23-25, 25-15, 15-25 and 15-13 win that put a dent in the Wolverines’ hopes of a third-place league finish and kept Ocosta in the hunt for a home playoff game.
“Tonight was a big night for us,” Ocosta head coach Erin Snider said. “We knew in order to play our first round of districts at home, we needed to win tonight. The team buckled down and found focus in the fifth set. … They played with guts and heart tonight.”
In the back-and-forth matchup, the Wildcats overcame a five-point deficit in the fifth and decisive set.
Annika Hollingsworth served eight straight points in the fifth set to lead the Wildcats to victory.
“She stayed cool under pressure and served strong and accurate,” Snider said of her sophomore outside hitter, who had 11 digs, four kills and three aces on Wednesday.
Wildcats junior hitter Emily Scott had 10 digs, sophomore setter Brynn Rasmus had 14 assists and freshman libero Noel Cuzdey added 14 digs in the victorious effort.”
The Wolverines (6-7, 6-7) sit in fourth place, a game behind third-place South Bend.
Ocosta continues its gauntlet of makeup games when it faces Chief Leschi at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Westport.
Northwest Christian 19 25 15 25 13 — 2
Ocosta 25 23 15 25 15 — 3
North Beach 3, Ilwaco 0
North Beach earned a straight-set victory over Ilwaco on Senior Night Tuesday in Ocean Shores.
The Hyaks (5-7, 3-7 2B Pacific) won 25-18, 25-19 and 25-18.
North Beach was led by its two seniors. Maryah Wisner had six aces, four kills and served at a 94% clip while Mady Eang had 15 assists, two kills and a service-percentage of 92%.
North Beach served 68-for-72 (94%) as a team.
“The whole team played together with good rhythm,” North Beach head coach Jessica Preisinger said. “The energy was high in the gym and the girls were ready to preform.”
Hyaks junior Anna Eastman led North Beach with 11 digs and went 16-for-16 from the service line.
Ilwaco 18 19 18 — 0
North Beach 25 25 25 — 3
GIRLS PREP SOCCER
Napavine 4, Ocosta 1
Playing in its fifth game in a week and third game in as many days, Ocosta fell to Napavine 4-1 on Wednesday in at Napavine High School.
Ocosta (9-5, 6-2 2B Central) trailed 1-0 after an own goal in the eighth minute but tied the game when Natalie Carloza scored on a penalty kick in the 14th minute.
Napavine (11-3, 7-2) scored once more and a second Ocosta own goal gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead at the half.
Ocosta faces Forks at 6 p.m. on Thursday with a chance to earn a share of second-place in the 2B Central – North League.
After the match, the two teams faced off in a tiebreaker shootout in case they ended up tied for second place after tomorrow’s Ocosta-Forks game.
The Wildcats prevailed 3-1 in the tiebreaker, with Trinity White, Kylee Denny and Miki Ness scoring in the shootout.
White blocked two Napavine shots in the shootout to lead the Wildcats to the tiebreaker victory.
Ocosta 1 0 — 1
Napavine 3 1 — 4
