Heartbreak At Home

WAITSBURG -- It was a heartbreaking night last Thursday when the WP Lady Cardinals were defeated by the Desales Irish in five games.

The Cardinals came out strong in game one battling point for point with the Irish to a score of 11-11 with WP taking the first time out.

The Cardinals exploded when play resumed, led by four back-to-back kills from powerhouse Ronnie Hulce.

A serving ace from WP's Krystal Harris and two kills from WP's Rhiannon Chapman would continue to fuel the Cardinal's fire.

A back-row kill from Hulce and three failed attacks from the Irish would give the Cardinals a 22-16 lead and cause the Irish to take their second time out.

A double hit from the Irish and a kill from WP's Dionna Baker would put the Cardinals at game point, 24-16.

All Irish hopes of a rally were soon put to rest when Baker blocked an Irish attack giving the Cardinals a game one victory of 25-16.

The Cardinals started off strong in game two, but a combination of failed attacks and missed serves soon had the Irish up 17-8 and it proved to be a deficit that they couldn't overcome and the Irish took game two, 25-15.

The Irish jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game three and the Cardinals spent the game playing catch up.

Kills from Krystal Harris and Rhiannon Chapman, combined with the Irish being called for double hits and a lift, put the Cardinals within reach of the lead. Desales soon answered with three kills and a handful of tips that the Cardinals couldn't get to and the Irish took game three, 25-17.

Game four was a pointfor point battle from the first serve. The Cardinals kept its intensity up and kept the ball in play forcing the Irish to earn every point. With WP up 10-9, the Cardinals called its first time out.

Two Irish kills and a blocked WP attack brought the game to 12 all.

Kills from WP's Harris, Amanda Cook, and a blocked Irish attack from Ronnie Hulce would keep the Cardinal's mojo flowing. Hulce hammered out three more consecutive kills and Baker slammed down two before Hulce ended game four with one of her 18 kills of the night, giving the Cardinals a 25-23 game four win.

The Cardinals struggled early with their passing and soon found themselves down, 1-10. Two kills from Hulce and a serving ace from Chapman were just not enough to get these ladies back in the game and the Irish walked away with a 15-9 win, giving them the match victory.

"We're still working on being able to pass consistently on serve receive," said WP head coach Angie Potts. Hulce had a season high 18 kills, 19 digs and 3 blocks.

Setter Kayla Huxull also had a season high 28 assists and 12 digs. Huxull was all over the floor and lead her underclassman. Harris also had a great night with 6 kills, 11, digs, and 3 blocks.

In other volleyball action, the Cardinals defeated Mac-Hi last Wednesday night in Waitsburg. Hulce racked up 9 kills, 12 digs, 3 blocks and 4 aces. Huxull put in 8 assists and 6 digs and Harris contributed 6 assists, 3 kills, 5 digs and 5 aces.

Tuesday night, the Cardinals defeated Tri-Cities in four games. They're now 2-3 in Blue Mountain League.