NAPAVINE — In front of an exuberant crowd filled with fans from both schools, the Adna volleyball team came out with a win against Napavine for the second time this season, as the Pirates swept the Tigers 25-22, 25-21, 25-17.
“We like playing Napavine. It’s always an intense game on both sides,” Adna coach Wendie Dotson said. “I felt that we had some girls that stepped up and really played good.”
Adna (10-0, 5-0 C2BL) played with a lead throughout the entire first set, scoring the game's first four points en route to a 19-13 lead. Napavine was able to go on a 9-4 run to get within one point, but a missed serve and a double hit gave the Pirates the final two points needed to take a 1-0 lead.
Karsyn Freeman made her presence felt early, setting the tone offensively with seven kills in the first set alone. Dotson said that Freeman, a transfer from Raymond in her first season at Adna, fits well with the Pirates and has added a new dimension to their attack.
“She’s a very aggressive server and a very powerful hitter, and when she’s on, she’s a weapon,” Dotson said. “She’s just the whole package. She fits well with our girls, and the girls mesh well together with her.”
Freeman finished the night with 13 kills, 10 digs, and an assist.
The Pirates jumped out to an early lead in Set 2 thanks to three consecutive aces from Danika Hallom, and while they eventually did seal the second set, points didn’t come easy.
The Tigers' (10-2, 4-1 C2BL) defense dug out several tough balls to force long rallies, but their offense struggled to convert those chances into points.
“Our defense tonight definitely kept us in the game, but our offense struggled to connect tonight,” Napavine coach Monica Dailey said. “They fought. They continued to fight. Adna was just a little bit better than us tonight.”
In the middle of the third set, the Tigers went on a 4-0 run to cut the Pirate lead to 12-11. After an Adna timeout, the Pirates ended the game on a 13-6 run.
Dotson was pleased with the way the Pirates kept their intensity up the whole night, noting that was a goal for them coming in.
In addition to Freeman’s big night, Hallom finished with 10 digs, eight kills, four aces and a block. Kendall Humphrey added nine kills while also adding four digs, two blocks and an ace.
Gaby Guard dished out 20 assists while also adding eight digs, three aces and a block, while Charissa Schierman went for nine assists, two blocks, a kill and an ace.
For the Tigers, energy and production came from Keria O’Neill, who finished the night with 13 kills, four blocks and four digs. Whenever the Tigers had a lull, O’Neill was there with not only the big play, but an intensity that ignited the Napavine bench.
“She has been a phenomenal leader for us,” Dailey said. “She does a really good job of letting her teammates know that she’s successful because of what they do for her.”
Grace Gall led the way defensively with 11 digs while also going perfect from the service line, Dakota Hamilton had 11 assists, and Kennedy Kelly had four aces and four blocks.
Libero Emily Kang also came through with several digs, both receiving serves and defensively during play.
While Napavine fell short on Thursday, Dailey is confident that the Tigers and Pirates will meet again.
While this was Adna and Napavine’s second meeting of the season, this was the one that will count towards the C2BL standings. At 5-0 in league, Adna is above Napavine and Toutle Lake, which are both 4-1 with losses to Napavine.
Adna is in action tomorrow in a non-conference, hosting fellow unbeaten Goldendale at 4:30 p.m. The Tigers are back on the court on Tuesday when they host Onalaska.
