Lady Tigercats’ season comes to a close at the District Tournament

The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Lady Tigercats had one primary goal this season: compete at the District Tournament. The team had missed the opportunity to compete in post season play last year, and they were determined to make sure they did not have a repeat of last season.

The Lady Tigercats qualified for the District Tournament and faced a day of tough competition on Nov. 5. The team first met St. John-Endicott and earned a three-set win against the Lady Eagles: 25-13, 25-20, 25-21. The Lady Tigercats had faced SJE the week prior to Districts and the Lady Eagles had pushed the match to four sets.

The win over SJE would allow the Lady Tigercats to continue on in competition during the daylong tournament.

Head Coach Sandy Martin said the LWK team came ready to play and worked well together throughout the tournament in order to ensure they had the best team performance possible.

Jazzmyn Gordon stepped up as a leader for the team, racking up 16 kills and two blocks. Nicole Harder continued to provide consistency from the setter’s position and earned 11 assists. She also provided the team with a strong defensive effort, earning 17 digs.

Alynn Harder led the team from the serving stripe with two aces.

The win moved the Lady Tigercats into a match against one of the league’s strongest teams: the Colton Lady Wildcats. The LWK set their focus on earning the win, and after a tough fought battle on the court, the Lady Tigercats walked away with a 22-25, 29-27, 25-19, 25-22, 16-14 win.

“The fifth set with Colton was awesome,” Martin said. “Colton was ahead 13-7, then we rotated to our strong rotation and ended up winning the match.”

Martin said the team rotated Nicole Harder into the serving position and Gordon into the front middle hitter position. The change in rotation proved to be the key to success, and provided the fans and team with a very exciting set, which resulted in the Lady Tigercats winning the match.

Against Colton, Gordon had 26 kills, 24 digs and eight blocks, showing her strength as a main component of the Lady Tigercats’ team. Nicole Harder continued her consistency on the court with 20 assists. Alynn Harder also returned as a strong server with three aces.

The win against Colton allowed the Lady Tigercats one more match in the District Tournament. A win would allow them to move onto the first round of state playoffs.

The Lady Tigercats faced off against Pomeroy for the opportunity to continue further in the post season. The LWK suffered a loss to the Lady Pirates with set scores of 10-25, 18-25, 17-25.

Martin said the Lady Tigercats were ready for the competition, but it would have been better if the team could have gone into the match with fresh legs. Martin said while the Lady Tigercats had their heart in the game, they suffered from exhaustion and were unable to win their third match of the day.

Gordon had 16 kills for the Lady Tigercats and Nicole Harder had 13 assists and one ace. Senior Britte Harder led a strong defensive front for the team with 17 digs and three blocks.

Martin said the team continued to communicate well on the court and moved to the ball, but after three matches, they were a step slow. Pomeroy had a successful match against Oakesdale prior to meeting up with the Lady Tigercats, and they were able to keep the momentum throughout both matches.

Oakesdale and Pomeroy move out of Districts to compete in the first round of state matches, and Martin said they should both place well at the state level.

“All in all, we had a great season,” Martin said about the Lady Tigercats. “I am proud of our Tigercat volleyball team and the progress they showed throughout the season.

“They represented our three communities really well, and we should all congratulate them on a terrific season.”