W.F. West broke its single-game aces record as it breezed past Aberdeen (25-10, 25-13, 25-10) in the opening round of the 2A District IV volleyball tournament at home Tuesday.
The Bearcats, led by sophomore Saige Brindle’s game-high seven aces and senior Alisha Anderson’s six aces, erupted for a single-game school record of 25 total aces en route to the victory. The previous record was 22, set in 2008 versus Elma.
“We had a lot of attempts at the service line,” W.F. West coach Emily Mora said.
Junior right-side hitter Amelia Etue led the Bearcats with a team-high six kills, while senior Keira Clark added four and sophomore Savannah Hawkins dug a team-high six balls.
“We maintained our level of play pretty well,” Mora said. “We were pretty steady and there weren't as many lulls. Towards the end of the season, we want to see the kids find their own groove, and they are. Our hitters were efficient.”
The Bearcats have now defeated Aberdeen, which falls to 2-10 overall and is eliminated, in all three matchups this season. W.F. West improves to 5-7 overall and breaks a three-game losing skid with the victory. The Bearcats move to the second round where they face 2A Evergreen Conference champion and Twin City rival Centralia (9-1) at 6 p.m. in Centralia.
The Tigers are currently on an eight-game win streak and have beaten the Bearcats twice (3-1, 3-0) this season.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the rematch,” Mora said. “I know our whole team is.”
