Ferris Finds Victory Over Lc In Three

While Ferris was looking for holes, Lewis and Clark found an offense.

Tuesday’s game of lost and found turned what started as a rout into another thrilling night of Greater Spokane League volleyball before Ferris pulled out a 15-2, 15-11, 18-16 victory at LC’s Squinty Hunter Fieldhouse.

“They’re a hell of a defensive team,” Ferris coach Stacey Ward said. “We were hitting the crap out of the ball and they were digging it up. Everything we put over came right back. Every time we found a hole, they moved the hole.”

That was evident at the end because LC seniors Ingrid Lindeblad and Sarah Hiss combined for 41 digs but wasn’t early as the Saxons were nearly flawless through a 12-5 lead in the second game. The Tigers clawed within 11-13 before losing and then fought back from a 12-4 deficit in the third game to have four serves to keep the best-of-five match alive.

“I liked it,” Tigers coach Buzzie Welch said. “I think we kind of grew up tonight. We were looking for an offense and I think we found one. I dug it out from my old days at Rogers. It might take people a while to figure it out; it will take us a while to figure it out.”

As the Tigers (2-1) were scrambling with the new offense, the Saxons (3-0) offense stalled as reserves covered the court. But when Ward returned her starters to the game they couldn’t hold off the Tigers.

The Saxons scored a single point through one rotation and found themselves waiting for the Tigers to serve for the game but the delivery was long. Molly Jones put Ferris ahead 15-14 with the help of a block by freshman Julie Weatherred.

Kills by Hiss and sophomore Erin Naipo put LC back on top with Elizabeth Hodgen serving but a Weatherred kill stopped the run. LC got the serve back four times before sophomore Missy Blackshire delivered an ace for a 17-16 lead. Then Jones dumped the ball over the front line for the win.

“You look at that (first game) but it’s good for them to have to hang in there and win one that’s close,” Ward said.

The Saxons (3-0) remained tied for the league league with Gonzaga Prep.

“We were way ahead and then we had a mental lapse and couldn’t pass the ball,” said Ferris senior K.C. Richards, who led the Saxons with 10 kills. “(The first game) makes your expectations higher. We thought we should have won easy, certainly not like it finished.”

At Mead, Jessica Sanborn had 10 kills, four aces and 12 digs to lead the host Panthers (1-2) to a 15-5, 15-13, 16-14 win over Rogers (0-3).

Jen Clark added 13 kills and eight blocks for Mead. Karly Nill led the Pirates with 12 digs and six kills.

At North Central, Aimee Wilson had 12 kills, two aces and four blocks to guide the host Indians (1-2) to a 15-3, 15-4, 15-5 win over Central Valley (0-1).

Sarah Menard added 14 assists for NC, playing its home opener before a large crowd. Crystal Lee had six digs and Jessica Sackmann eight assists for the Bears.

At U-Hi, Sally Jamison had nine kills, two aces and 14 digs in the host Titans’ 15-13, 15-7, 15-9 win over Shadle Park.

Devon Bakken added 11 kills for U-Hi (2-1), which broke from a 13-all score in the first game and cruised home. Shae Sullivan had five kills and 13 digs for the Highlanders (1-3).

Frontier League

Amy Gelhausen sparked defending league champion West Valley with 10 kills, three aces, 29 assists and four digs in a 15-17, 15-4, 15-12, 13-15, 15-4 league-opening win over visiting Colville.

The Eagles rebounded from a close fourth-game loss by scoring the first 10 points of the rubber game. WV’s Arin Craig had 17 kills and 11 blocks. Carlin Egger had six kills and Nika Blackman six digs for the Indians.

At Pullman, visiting East Valley opened with a 15-11, 15-3, 15-8 win over the Greyhounds. Molly Fisher had 13 kills and three blocks for Pullman.

At Cheney, visiting Clarkston, which had won three consecutive titles until WV cashed in last year, stormed to a 15-3, 15-6, 15-4 win over the Blackhawks.

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