Lady Cards Have Eyes On State Berth

WAITSBURG -- Waitsburg- Prescott came oh so close to a state tournament bid in 2011, falling two points shy of a trip to Yakima in the district cham- pionship match versus Asotin, then losing their second chance to earn a state berth with a loss to DeSales in the loser-out final.

The Lady Cards will have to make this year's attempt for Yakima minus the 1-2 scoring punch of departed senior hitters Ronnie Hulce and Dionna Baker and 3-year varsity setter Kayla Huxoll.

And while there is still a major senior presence at the outside hitter and libero positions, second-year head coach Angie Potts says just who will man the setter positions is still up in the air.

One of the returning seniors is three-sport standout Krystal Harris, who will move from outside hitter to middle this year.

"Krystal's an all-around player," said Potts. "She could set for us if we needed her to. I moved her to the middle, because she's got really good timing. She's small for a middle, so she won't block too many balls, but she will get her hands on them and slow them down at least."

Senior hitter Rhiannon Chapman also returns for the Cardinals, but she will stay outside.

"She's dominantly an outside hitter," said Potts. "She's not go- ing to see the middle, probably. She's not going to play the right side. Her hitting is a lot better, more consistent. She's solid all around on that left side."

The other seniors, Jen Nichols, of Waitsburg, and Adriana Benito, of Prescott, will share time at libero according to Potts.

The only returning varsity underclassman is Prescott's Samantha Federson. The sopho- more moved up last year when a height-challenged WP squad faced a taller Asotin six and needed someone to slow down the Panther's potent outside hitting.

"She did so well," said Potts. "We kept using her."

Federson will move from right side hitter to the middle this year.

"She's got great timing on her block," Potts said. "She jumps really well in addition to her height. She will fill Ronnie (Hulce) and Dionna (Baker)'s spots."

The two setter positions in Potts' 6-2 scheme will be manned, possibly, by a three- person rotation of junior Enedina Fuentes, sophomore Analise Salazar and freshman Jayden Brown.

Potts says Fuentes, who hasn't played since junior high was a "huge surprise".

"She's quick," said Potts. "She anticipates well. She reads the court extremely well for not having been out there for a few years. We need to work on her hands a little bit, but she can get to balls on the outside that everyone else can only dive for."

Analise Salazar, meanwhile, "probably has the best hands, and can get the ball consistently where it needs to be. She has a little work to do on defense, but she hustles, plays hard, talks, and anticipates the ball very well."

The other three players Potts foresees on varsity either full- or part-time are junior Haylee Dorman, a new face this year who last played for LaCrosse- Washtucna, sophomore Stacia Deal, and freshman Caitlyn Mohney. Potts sees all three as outside hitters, and Deal also as a back row defensive specialist.

Potts doesn't see her team overpowering opponents with the offense Hulce and Baker supplied last year. She says passing and defense will be the Cardinals strength along with their scrappiness.

Potts expects Asotin to be the team to beat based on their height, but she also believes her Cardinals can make it to state. After last season ended, though, she wasn't so sure.

"I thought that maybe this would be a rebuilding year, but we do have the senior ex- perience and with Samantha, though she's only a sopho- more, she will play far above that grade level," Potts said. "I saw some really good things this summer-even when we didn't have a full varsity group. The freshmen were coming out to every open gym this summer and when we played at (Walla Walla High School). So I went from thinking this would be a rebuilding year to thinking yeah, we're going to be O.K."

WP Volleyball Roster

Caitlyn Mohney, freshman

Jaidyn Brown, freshman

Stacia Deal, sophomore

Analise Salazar, sophomore

Samantha Fedderson, sophomore

Enedina Fuentes, junior

Haley Dorman, junior

Rhiannon Chapman, senior

Krystal Harris, senior

Adriana Benito, senior

Jennifer Nichols, senior