The Cheney High volleyball team’s place at the top of the Great Northern League standings was short-lived after a 3-1 loss to Pullman, Oct. 13. They rebounded to defeat East Valley, 3-1, Oct. 15.
The game scores for the Pullman match were 18-25, 25-22, 28-30 and 25-27. Head coach Heather Zorrozua said her team spent the first set “getting their feet wet” as they were playing in Pullman’s new gym for the first time.
“We had some momentum at the end of the first set and carried that over into the second game,” Zorrozua said.
She added that the third and fourth sets were battles and her team just could not finish the match.
“I think we beat ourselves and made some silly mistakes in the end,” Zorrozua said. “The focus this week is to get back to controlling the match instead of sitting back and waiting for our opponents to make errors.”
Rylie Pease led the match with 18 kills and Peyton Stark had 20 assists. Stark and Marissa Peach recorded three aces each. On defense, Ally Jones led the match with 23 digs and KD Skillingstad had two blocks.
Cheney (7-3 GNL, 8-3 overall) has a solid grip on second place behind Pullman (7-2, 13-5). The Lady Blackhawks host the Greyhounds in their final match of the regular season, Oct. 27. Zorrozua believes that last match between Cheney and Pullman could determine who wins the regular season GNL title and hosts the district tournament, which begins Oct. 31.
“I’m excited for that final match against Pullman,” Zorrozua said. “It’s a big motivation for the girls. We’d love to host the district tournament.”
The game scores for the East Valley match were 25-18, 18-25, 25-18 and 25-16.
Pease led the match with 11 kills and five aces while Stark had 19 assists. On defense, Hailey Bridges led her team with 13 digs and Skillingstad had three blocks.
“Our girls showed their mental toughness in that match and East Valley is by no means an easy opponent,” Zorrozua said. “They have a competitive program at the high school and middle school and for us to sweep them is a big deal for the girls.”
Before facing Pullman, the Blackhawks travel to West Valley to play the Eagles in their final road match of the regular season, Oct. 22. Cheney is currently 2-0 against West Valley this season.
“West Valley is one of those teams that can sneak up and beat you,” Zorrozua said. “I don’t think you can overlook anyone in this league. They will be a good stepping stone for the girls to showcase their focus and build momentum for the match against Pullman.”
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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