First-year W.F. West coach Robert Lucas and his team had one mantra this preseason: control the things they can.
The Bearcats put that to the test Tuesday night against visiting Elma, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Eagles in five sets (18-25, 25-9, 19-25, 25-22, 15-9) in non-league play.
“The one stat that doesn’t come out tonight is their tenacity,” Lucas said of his team. “They just don’t give up no matter where the momentum is. They fought together as a team. They knew they could do it.”
Though the Bearcats’ stats weren’t bad either, serving 89% as a team, Lucas said the girls were not pleased with their stats overall.
Savannah Hawkins drilled five aces, while Ava Olsen, Mari Ceesay and Saige Brindle each added three aces. Kam Simper finished with a team-high 16 digs, Olsen added seven kills and Ceesay tallied 17 hitting attempts with eight kills and only four errors.
“That was pretty nice for her,” Lucas said. “Not taking anything away from Elma. They’re scrappy and it was hard-fought for both sides.”
It was also a program victory for the Bearcats, with the junior varsity and C-team each collecting wins.
W.F. West (1-1) hosts Mossyrock at 7 p.m. Thursday.
