Lady Tigercats prepare for Districts

The Lady Tigercats had successful outings in both league competition and nonleague games over the past week. The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus team battled on the court in order to earn a chance to compete in the District Tournament.

The LWK team started off their busy week with a nonleague game against Oakesdale. With a limited amount of players able to compete for the Lady Tigercats at the match, the junior varsity athletes stepped up to fill the positions on the varsity squad.

Head Coach Sandy Martin said despite the low numbers, the junior varsity players remained competitive against a very strong Oakesdale team.

The majority of the varsity athletes for the Lady Tigercats were in Indianapolis attending the National FFA Convention.

The Lady Tigercats lost the match to Oakesdale with scores of 11-25, 8-25, 12-25. Martin said the team excelled in communicating on the court, which proved crucial, as they had only practiced one day in the new positions.

Jazzmyn Gordon continued as the varsity leader on the court, racking up four kills, five blocks and one ace. Kristen Miller stepped in as setter, and provided seven digs and three assists.

The Lady Tigercats hosted St. John-Endicott in the final league match of the season on Oct. 25, and earned a 25-13, 25-19, 19-25, 25-23 win. During the match, the Lady Tigercats honored three senior athletes and their parents.

The team started off strong, rotating to the ball and setting up plays at the net. The Lady Tigercats had balanced coverage and made sure to defend against the tip.

The primary struggle for the Lady Tigercats continued to be serve receive, as St. John-Endicott had strong servers with the ability to place the ball where they wanted. After making slight adjustments, the Lady Tigercats rallied and earned the league win.

Gordon stepped up again as a leader, recording a season high 19 kills. She also had six aces for the team.

Nicole Harder returned to provide the Lady Tigercats with 20 assists and 18 digs. Britte Harder remained a force at the net and recorded two blocks.

The win against St. John-Endicott moved the Lady Tigercats into the first round of the District Tournament. They will played Waitsburg in Oakesdale on Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.

If the Lady Tigercats win the match, the team plays Oakesdale at 7:30 p.m. If they lose either match, they play in the District Tournament in Colfax on Nov. 5 for the opportunity to continue into postseason competition.

The highlight of the week for the Lady Tigercats occurred on Oct. 27 when they hosted Colton in a nonleague match. The LWK team played consistent and strong volleyball, resulting in an upset of one of the team’s top teams.

Martin said Colton is a tough team to beat, but the Lady Tigercats stepped up to the challenge and worked together as a team to earn the win. The match remained close throughout, and the Lady Tigercats barely squeezed by with the win with set scores of 25-23, 14-25, 25-19, 23-25, 16-14.

Colton used their quickness to try to throw the Lady Tigercats off balance, and their strong middle blockers made the LWK hits more difficult to find good placement.

Martin said the LWK team had excellent passing throughout the match, and also improved by having consistent serves.

“I was proud how they came back after the bad loss in the second set,” Martin said about the Lady Tigercats. “Although this was a nonleague match, the girls were very excited about beating the No. 2 team in our District.”

Gordon continued her success on the court, earning 19 kills for the second consecutive match. She also posted four aces and four blocks for her team, helping earn the nonleague win.

Nicole Harder ended the night with 25 assists and 19 digs.

The intensity and confidence gained during the Colton match will be instrumental as the Lady Tigercats enter the District Tournament. Martin is looking for the team to remain consistent and balanced on the court, and continue to communicate to reduce the amount of errors.

The Lady Tigercats have to win a match on Nov. 5 in order to continue in the District Tournament.