ONALASKA — The first set between Onalaska and Mossyrock’s district quarterfinal on Saturday could have gone either way.
The two sides traded points throughout, and though the Loggers were able to pull it out in extra points to take the early lead, Onalaska coach Susan Gordon wanted to see more out of her team in the second set and beyond.
“We talked about energy,” Gordon said. “We just kind of played the way the game was the first game. Up, down, up, down, up, down. Instead of just coming out with energy, focused, and ready to go. That’s the difference.”
An uptick in energy made all the difference in the next two sets, as the Loggers dominated the rest of the way to come away with a 26-24, 25-12, 25-14 sweep and advance to the district semifinals.
The Loggers came out swinging from the jump, but especially so in the final two sets. Very rarely did a free ball go over, and oftentimes, Onalaska would get a free ball in return because their initial hit sent Mossyrock scrambling to keep the ball in play.
“You got to attack before you get attacked,” Gordon said. “Every single one of these girls can swing, and swing hard. It’s a super advantage.”
Emalie Jacoby finished with 20 kills and 16 digs, while Faith Hammer and Sommer Hammer both added seven kills. Faith Hammer also had three blocks, while Renzy Marshall tallied 14 digs and five aces.
Capri McGraw tallied 19 digs, and Braelyn Babb dished out 32 assists.
It wasn’t just the hard hits that helped the Loggers pull away, though. They began mixing in tips in the second set, and Mossyrock coach Alex Nelson admitted her team struggled to adjust.
“We struggled to pick up the tip,” Nelson said. “We need to attack consistently so they’re not getting such easy balls.”
The Vikings came into the game less rested than the top-seeded Loggers, who entered the quarterfinals on a bye. Mossyrock beat Morton-White pass in five in a first-round game earlier that afternoon to clinch its spot in the quarters.
In that game, the Vikings blew a late lead in the first set, rallied back to win the second and third, and ended the game on a 9-0 run.
“Had we put away the game a little better in the first one, we may have a little more legs left and we can compete with them more,” Nelson said. “But with the No. 1 team (Onalaska), that’s difficult to do.”
Across the two games, Taylor Schwartz tallied 64 digs to lead the Mossyrock defense.
“I’m sure everyone hates her when they go to hit the ball,” Nelson said with a laugh. “Because she digs so well.”
Adyson Barrows added 52 digs and 25 kills across both games, while Kendall Cournyer logged 35 digs and 16 kills. Brooke Schwartz tallied 33 digs and two aces, Leah Contreras finished with 14 kills and seven blocks, and Calliope Schultz collected 43 assists and 18 digs.
Mossyrock (9-9) will now have to win two straight elimination games to clinch a state tournament berth. The Vikings will head to Raymond on Wednesday to face Forks.
“The biggest thing is starting out strong,” Nelson said. “We gotta warm up in our warmup and be ready to go … We all got to want the ball and be ready to make the play.”
Onalaska (12-3) will face Rainier in a district semifinal in Adna on Wednesday. The Loggers went 1-1 against the Mountaineers this season, losing the non-league matchup in five on Sept. 23 before winning the league matchup the next week in four.
A win would put the Loggers through to their first district title game since 2007, when they won the 1A District 4 title over Stevenson, and it would also put them through to their first state tournament since 2015.
“We’re excited,” Gordon said. “It was a great match when we played them before … They’re just excited to keep going and keep playing. We just got to be us, play our game, and bring energy.”
