Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
WAITSBURG - With the regular season slump continuing for the Cardinals, WP head volleyball coach Jesse Buehler is looking ahead to the playoffs as the time her girls will peak as a team. After losing to Dayton last Tuesday, the Cardinals lost in four games against top-ranked Asotin 19-25, 25-20, 20-25 and 19-25 Tuesday. "We were well-prepared for this match," Buehler said. "Each game was fairly close. I'm at a loss as to what the problem was."
Although WP lost the first game, they struggled back from an earlier deficit and took their positive momentum
into the second game for a win. But the team's energy flattened in the third game.
"Genesis Pearson usually carries us, but she was struggling tonight," Buehler said after the game. "There was no one to dominate like that." The Cardinals also felt the absence of Iris Batalla, who sustained an injury during
last week's game against Dayton and sat out Tuesday night's game, changing the team's familiar rotation. Despite a number of unforced errors, WP stayed strong on defense but didn't pick up the pace on offense. "We didn't put the ball away as much as we should have," she said. Buehler said she hopes Thursday's Homecoming game against Walla Walla Valley Academy will give the Cardinals a reason to rally and pull themselves up to regain confidence and momentum. "We're in quite a hole right now," she said, noting the team is 2-6 for the season. "We're almost scared to play because we lost so much. We're still a very, very good team, but we need to get out of this slump and get our confidence back." The next several games are on Kison Court. If the Cardinals win at least a couple,
they will make it to the playoffs and could turn a losing season into a winning one, Buehler said.
WP vs Asotin
19-25, 25-20, 20-25, 19-25
Genesis Pearson: 15/18 serving, 7 kills, 9 digs
Ronnie Hulce: 6 kills, 9 digs
Krystal Harris: 5 kills, 8 assists
Kayla Huxoll: 12/12 serving, 7 assists
Rachelle Oseth: 12 digs
Amanda Cook: 17/18 serving with 2 aces
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