There would be no end-of-season surprises in store for the Mossyrock volleyball team Thursday, which capped off a perfect regular season with ruthless efficiency in a 25-4, 25-9, 25-8 sweep of Willapa Valley.
“We have four seniors, and I let them play a lot,” Mossyrock coach Alex Nelson said. “They played well together tonight. I felt like we were a well-oiled machine. We made very few errors, and that’s one thing I’ve been really on the team about, is being consistent and getting ready for State.”
As usual, Mossyrock’s seniors led the way on offense. Payton Torrey put down 14 kills on .632 hitting. Paige Houghtelling did her teammate even better in terms of her clip, with seven of her eight swings finding the floor for an .875 night.
“Those two really shined tonight in their hitting,” Nelson said.
Hailey Brooks had five kills of her own, and Caelyn Marshall dished out 12 assists.
Abbie Lovan led the Vikings with nine digs.
Sophomore Erin Cournyer, who passed out 13 assists, also continued to step into a greater role terminating plays, with seven kills.
“She’s very athletic, very quick to the ball,” Nelson said. “She just made good decisions on hitting tonight… She’s young, and I can’t imagine what she’s going to become in the next couple of years.”
Cournyer and Houghtelling both had four aces to lead Mossyrock at the line; as a team, the Vikings only had two service errors.
With the way the 1B District 4 tournament is set up, Mossyrock is set to get three byes, and will be off until it takes the court again on Nov. 5 in the semifinals at Montesano.
