Lady Tigercats volleyball starts league competition with losses

The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Lady Tigercats volleyball team began league competition against Colton and Oakesdale, and saw first hand the strength of the league.

The two early season matches resulted in losses for the Lady Tigercats, but the team made gains in personal and team growth.

The Lady Tigercats first met the Colton Lady Wildcats on Sept. 20 where Colton earned a 25-19, 25-20, 25-10 win.

Head Coach Sandy Martin said the first league loss proved disappointing for the team. Martin said the Lady Tigercats struggled at the serving line and also faltered on serve receive.

While the LWK team remained competitive throughout the match, the first two set wins by Colton led to the Lady Tigercats making more mental mistakes.

Martin said the team has been stronger in prior matches, but the Lady Tigercats could not seem to unite in order to upset the Lady Wildcats.

At the end of the match, Martin said Colton’s speed and experience led to their success. The Lady Tigercats worked hard on offense, but were unable to secure multiple points off kills.

Nicole Harder led the team with 13 assists and one ace.

Jazzmyn Gordon proved to be an asset both offensively and defensively with eight kills and 16 digs. Britte Harder racked up two blocks during the match.

After the match, Martin said the team focused on basics and fundamentals to improve for their next lead match.

On Sept. 22, the team moved on to face Oakesdale in their second league match. While facing a tough loss to Oakesdale, the Lady Tigercats remained competitive with scores of 17-25, 25-21, 10-25, 23-25.

Martin said the Oakesdale match was the polar opposite of the team’s last match against Colton. The Lady Tigercats found continuity on the court and worked together to play a solid game.

The Lady Tigercats’ strength of the night came at the line, where the team had consistently tough serves. Martin said the Lady Tigercats also played well at the net and worked hard on defense to remain competitive.

Oakesdale benefited from having strong hitters and the Lady Tigercats remained strong, digging their best hits. Martin said the LWK goal was to limit Oakesdale’s ability to set up the hit, and ultimately the team achieved their goal during the outing.

Martin said the team struggled to work together as a team and believing in themselves. Martin said moving forward, the team is focused on being confident about their skills and working to continually improve.

Nicole Harder had another successful match for the Lady Tigercats, earning 30 assists, nine digs and four aces. Gordon led the team defensively with 26 kills and two blocks.

The Lady Tigercats move on to face Pomeroy on the road on Sept. 29, before hosting Davenport in a nonleague match on Oct. 3 in Washtucna. Both varsity matches begin at 5 p.m.