Cheney Free Press -

It was an enthusiastic Medical Lake varsity volleyball squad that began their 2019 season with a 0-3 loss against visiting Lakeside on Thursday, Sept. 12, in the teams first Northeast A League game year, going 13-25, 11-25, 11-25 in three sets.

“This was the best we have competed against Lakeside since I have been coaching at Medical Lake,” head coach Todd Harr wrote in an email. “We had an amazing crowd and the ladies were very scrappy throughout the night.”

The 5-foot-8-inch senior Tori John led the Cardinals with seven kills. Amblessed Okemgbo worked the net with two blocks, while libero Grace Stimson worked the deck with 15 digs. Freshman Rylie Spring, who Harr said was “playing well beyond her age,” had two aces and two assists.

“We played a well-rounded match but are looking to improve passing and talking throughout the match,” Harr said, noting he was happy with the progress the team is making.

“But it’s going to take a lot of hard work to reach our goals moving forward,” he said.

The Cardinal volleyball crew is sitting at 0-1 in league play and 1-3 overall. They were scheduled to host top-ranked Freeman on Tuesday, Sept. 17, and then travel to Newport on Friday, Sept. 20, followed by Riverside on Tuesday, Sept. 24. All game kick-off at 6:30 p.m.

Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.