District Volleyball Recap from Coach Potts
The Hawks volleyball season ended after playing nearly 4 1/2 hours of volleyball at the District tournament on Saturday in Cashmere. The Hawks fell to Zillah in 5 sets with scores of 24-26, 26-24, 26-24, 20-25, 8-15. The Hawks turned around 20 minutes later to face a fresh Naches Valley team and again went an extra set before falling 1-3. Scores were 17-25, 25-15, 23-25, 13-25.
We had our opportunity to put Zillah away in the 4th set and didn't limit our unforced errors down the stretch which gave Zillah opportunities to chip away at our lead and take control of the match. By the time we got to the fourth set against Naches, nearly 4 hours after we had started playing, it became clear that their physical energy was drained. The desire was there but the feet weren't moving when they needed to be. Everyone played well and worked well as a team. The encouragement from the bench was as supportive as ever.
I thought Aela Bryant did a great job playing middle for the first time ever. She had 4 kills, 4 blocks, 7 digs, and her hands on a lot of attacks to either slow down the hit or send it back to the opposing side. Her versatility and athletic ability is just outstanding.
With Aela playing middle, Abi Knowles took on the responsibility of setting full time as we transitioned from a 6-2 to a 5-1. She showed good leadership running the offense and communicating with hitters. Abi finished with 57 assists, 4 kills, 3 aces, 29 digs, 1 block.
Evie Anthony was strong on the right side getting kills when she had the opportunity and playing really well in the back row. Evie hasn't been backrow much this year due to the 6-2 offense but she is quick and has good ball control. Evie finished with 7 kills, 18 digs, 2 blocks.
Evelyn Pineda came in to give us an added option on the outside. She only had 2 kills, but she picked up 6 digs by anticipating tips and digging balls that deflected off the block. Evelyn has always done really well in the front row and making sure nothing hits the floor behind the block.
Layla Tonn had her best matches of the season mentally which translated to some of her best physical play. She was getting called for carries that were very questionable and haven't been called all year. Layla was frustrated but didn't shut down like she might have in prior matches, especially in her sophomore and junior years. She finished with 17 kills, 17 digs, 5 blocks.
Emily Ferguson has no quit in her and she gives energy to her team all the time. She had 8 digs and her 5 serves in set 3 against Naches is what brought us back from a big deficit.
Rehema Durand is as tough as anyone and also had her best game mentally. Always the perfectionist and wanting success all the time, she continued smiling and supporting her team even during the tough stretches. She finished with 10 kills, 48 digs, and 1 block. That had a line judge in awe of how high she jumps.
Ava Long had a historic night for our program as she became the first player to reach 1000 digs. She came into the tournament with 997 and achieved #1000 early in the first set against Zillah. Ava has shown leadership through her play. This year, she's turned frustration into kills, digs, or aces. Ava had 25 kills, 58 digs, and 1 block.
Addy Svilich has been a strong right side for us and with the switch to the 5-1 for the tournament, she had to share time with Evie and then help set against Naches. Addy shows tremendous composure and will get the job done. She finished the tournament with 5 kills, 8 assists, 7 digs, and 2 blocks.
Daisy Rivas has been the foundation of our defense for two years and done a great job of communicating with hitters and adjusting to where she needs to be on defense. Daisy is always positive and supportive of her teammates. Daisy had 30 digs for the tournament.
Bella Taylor came in and gave us valuable backrow play and serving. Bella is always positive and encouraging. When she was needed, she was 100% ready to go. Bella 11 digs for the tournament.
Breelynn Smith didn't get much time on the court during the tournament but, like Bella, she was ready go when called on and did outstanding. She had 1 kill on 1 set and contributed a great dig on defense. As the only sophomore on the team who was called up from JV as a last minute addition, she helped add competition to our practices. Breelynn has a bright future in the program.
Despite ending our season earlier than we wanted to, I'm still really proud of them. This team is genuine in their support of each other and plays for the love of the game. They will also be a special group to me.