Lady Tigercats lose final league match to SJE

The Lady Tigercats played their final league match on Oct. 26 against the St. John-Endicott (SJE) Lady Indians, before playing a final nonleague match against Waitsburg on Oct. 30. The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus team is now preparing for the District Tournament.

During the final league game, SJE swept the match and handed the Lady Tigercats a 16-25, 16-25, 20-25 loss.

Head Coach Sandy Martin said while the team lost, the Lady Tigercats had fun during the match. Having fun and remaining positive has been the primary goal for the team this season, and Martin said she is proud of the team for remaining optimistic and unified as a team.

The Lady Tigercats struggled from the serving line, which has been the team’s main strength this season. As a team, LWK served 87 percent, and Martin explained the team’s continual goal is to achieve at least 90 percent.

Martin said the change in serving percentage is attributed more to a lack of mental focus, not a physical skill. The Lady Tigercats are remaining focused on serving in practice in order to better prepare for upcoming opponents.

The LWK team had a strong serve receive night, and Martin said this was extremely impressive as SJE succeeds at placing their serves well.

Jazzmyn Gordon had a strong all-around game, posted 11 kills, 10 digs, two aces and one block for the Lady Tigercats. Alynn Harder worked hard as setter, racking up seven assists and also had a strong passing night.

The Lady Tigercats played a final nonleague game on Monday against Waitsburg, but suffered another loss. The game was scheduled as a final practice match before Districts, and the LWK team lost in four sets: 25-19, 23-25, 14-25, 23-25.

Martin said the team had two narrowly lost sets, but Waitsburg played the more consistent match to earn the win. The team struggled with communication and maintaining consistency, and Martin said the team will need to move better on the court if they want to continue into postseason competition.

Gordon continued to lead the team, and racked up 22 kills, 19 digs, three aces and two blocks. Harder had a perfect serving night, 15-15, and also tallied 14 assists.

Martin said while the Lady Tigercats had a strong passing game, the serving percentage still fell below their team goal.

In practice, the Lady Tigercats will focus on improving their core skills while also incorporating “live action” competition. Martin said it can be difficult to scrimmage with only 11 athletes, but they plan on pushing themselves as hard as they can leading up to Districts.

The LWK team competed in the first round of the District Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 1, against SJE.

The second round of competition will occur on Nov. 4 in Walla Walla.