Several Tigers put together their best game of the season as Centralia swept Rochester on the road, 25-23, 25-15, 25-15 Tuesday night.
After building up a lead in the first set, the Tigers got hung up on a Warrior server, and nearly let the set get away from them. After squeaking out a victory against a scrappy Rochester squad in the first, the Tigers seized momentum and took home the match in three sets.
“I’m proud of our girls, proud to get the win,” Tigers coach Marti Smith said. “It was a win we needed to have, not just for the standings but for morale too.”
The Tigers were led by strong performances from several players. Makayla Chavez recorded six kills, Ella Orr had five kills to go along with 11 digs, Jadyn Hawley had four aces and nine digs, and Peyton Smith had three aces, 25 assists, and eight digs in the win. Senior Evie Rooklidge also contributed six aces, five kills, and 18 digs.
The Warriors meanwhile, are still adjusting after losing a few weeks of their season in COVID-19 protocol. While they were on the wrong end of a sweep, Smith commended the home squad.
“Rochester had no quit in them and caught us flat footed more than once,” Smith said.
The Warriors held in tough for the first set, in part due to some strong serving play from Lakota Escott and Kassidy Byrd, but are stilling trying to get their feet under them.
“We’re getting better each time we play,” Warriors coach Bridget Morris said. “Today we weren’t putting balls away enough.”
Rochester was led by Lauren Rotter, who had 12 digs, and Roisin Stull, who had nine digs and three kills.
The Tigers and Warriors will meet again on Wednesday for an immediate rematch in Centralia at 7 p.m.
