ADNA — When going on the road and facing off against the No. 1 team in the state, you must be on your A-game to come out with a win, even if you aren’t far behind in the rankings at No. 3.
For the No. 3 Napavine volleyball team, however, more than a dozen unforced errors continuously halted any momentum they gained, and No. 1 Adna took full advantage, sweeping the Tigers 25-23, 25-16, 28-26 on Tuesday in a non-league matchup to remain unbeaten.
“When you start to build momentum, it just starts feeding on each other, you kind of get better and you play better as a group,” Adna coach Wendie Dotson said. “We got some momentum behind us, did some things right, and took advantage of things that weren’t going (for Napavine).”
The Pirates (5-0) took advantage early and often, capitalizing on five missed serves from the Tigers (5-1) in the first set. After Adna jumped out to an 18-12 lead, the Tigers roared back to get within one at 22-21, but the Pirates were able to hold them off to seal the first set.
The Adna offense got rolling late in the second set, as the Pirates ended the set on a 13-5 run to go up 2-0.
Napavine’s serving issues came to a head in the third set, as the Tigers missed seven more serves, including one that came when they had a 24-22 lead. Adna came back to force extra points, and shortly after sealed the game.
“We knew that it was an important game, for both of us, so we came in with that fight and hope you come out on top,” Dotson said. “We accomplished what we wanted to do.”
Napavine coach Monica Dailey and the Tigers were understandably frustrated with the missed opportunities.
“I feel like we beat ourselves,” Dailey said. “They (the missed serves) make a difference when you’re in these situations where you’re evenly matched … missed serves are what changed the outcome of the game.”
In total, the Tigers had 15 of them.
Even with that, however, the Tigers were still able to keep it close. Even in the middle set that they lost by seven, it was tied at 13 before Adna’s run.
“The girls were right there,” Dailey said. “I felt like we were right there with them and forced them to change their offense, which was our goal.”
While Adna did have to adjust, several Pirates were still able to have success.
Kendall Humphrey recorded a double-double with 17 kills and 13 digs, while also adding two aces and a block. Gaby Guard tallied 22 assists, five digs and two aces.
Karsyn Freeman and Charissa Schierman also had great all-around days, as Freeman recorded 13 kills, seven digs, three blocks and three assists and Schierman had 11 assists, seven digs, four kills and two aces.
Jaylee Humphrey added 12 digs and Danika Hallom had nine digs, seven kills and three blocks.
Dotson added that while the offense has been clicking, the focus will be on pairing strong defensive play with the elite offense.
“We’re gonna work on the defense, and those balls that hit the floor,” Dotson said. “Right now we’ve got a good offensive strategy, we just need to get that defense a little better and sharpen it up.”
Several Tigers also had good days in the box score, including Dakota Hamilton, who had a double-double herself with 17 assists and 13 kills. Keira O’Neill tallied 12 kills and four blocks while Jessie McCoy added 10 assists. Grace Gall and Emily Kang combined for 17 digs.
While this was the first of two meetings between the two teams this season, the second will officially be a league matchup, and it will be in Napavine on Oct. 12.
Dailey is already looking forward to the rematch, saying she is confident that the Tigers have what it takes to top Adna.
“I believe in my team,” Dailey said. “I feel like they are one of the best teams in the state. I feel like they are starting to understand that and believe that.”
In the meantime, the Tigers will wrap up their non-league slate tomorrow when they host Raymond before opening league play at Winlock on Thursday.
The Tigers also open league play on Thursday, when they’ll host Toledo.
