MOSSYROCK — It was about as close as a volleyball match could be on Monday night in Mossyrock, where the Vikings outlasted the visiting Onalaska Loggers to come away with a 20-25, 25-19, 25-19, 19-25, 15-11 win in a non-league affair.
The Vikings had to adjust on the fly after dropping the first set of the game, as an injury forced veterans to play out of position and brought younger players into the game off the bench.
Despite that, Mossyrock was able to rally and win the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead.
“It just shows when there’s a team effort, how much you can come together,” Mossyrock coach Alex Nelson said with a smile. “It was all of them contributing … I’m very proud of this team.”
In those two sets, the Vikings gained some momentum on a few blocks, and they became more efficient and aggressive from the service line as the game went on.
“They were playing safe in the beginning,” Nelson said. “The block was the first thing to come alive … It gave us a little more energy.”
Onalaska battled back to take Set 4 and score the first three points of the fifth and final set, but Mossyrock went on a 10-2 run to take control late.
The Loggers are a very young team, as they have just three sophomores and six freshmen, but many of them got extended playing time at the varsity level last season.
Onalaska coach Susan Gordon acknowledged that, and she was disappointed that they allowed such a long run in one of the game’s most critical moments.
“Yeah, we’re freshmen, we’re sophomores,” Gordon said. “That’s not an excuse anymore. We’re here, we’re gonna play, or this is what’s gonna happen.”
Onalaska was able to get back within three later in the set, but Mossyrock never let it get any closer than that.
“There’s been huge growth in them (from last fall),” Gordon continued. “And that’s why I’m done saying ‘learn from this.’ No, you learned. Get over it and get it done … They’ll take it and move forward.”
Emalie Jacoby finished with 44 digs, 16 kills, and six aces, while Capri McGraw tallied 17 digs and five aces. Faith Hammer had five solo blocks, while Sommer Hammer logged six kills. Braelyn Babb dished out 27 assists.
While this game was a non-league matchup, these two teams will meet again in C2BL play on Oct. 22 in Onalaska. The rematch could have big postseason implications, as the Loggers made the district tournament last fall, and the Vikings are eager to prove that regardless of classification, they can continue to have success.
Over the past seven years, at 1B and 2B, Mossyrock has earned a top-three finish at the state tournament.
“We can compete at any level,” Nelson said. “But last year, we improved a lot. And we needed to in order to get where we were at the end of the season. This year, I feel the same way. We need to have the same level of improvement.”
Chesney Schultz tallied 13 kills, five aces, and a pair of blocks, while Adyson Barrows and Erin Cournyer added six kills each. Barrows led the Vikings with six aces. Mossyrock’s stats are incomplete as the stat keeper had to operate the scoreboard after the Mossyrock injury.
The Loggers (1-1) will look to get back in the win column at Rochester on Wednesday, while the Vikings (2-0) will hit the road for the first time when they travel to Toutle Lake for another non-league contest on Thursday.
