WP Earns Consolation Prize

WAITSBURG -- Waits- burg-Prescott crammed eight games into the first five days of its first week of the 2012 volleyball season.

The Cardinals emerged with four wins, three losses and the consolation bracket winner of their home tourna- ment last weekend.

As reported last week, the Cards lost their opener to the giants of Colfax, Tuesday. On Wednesday, they returned to their home court to face Rosalia. In a match that went the distance, WP defeated the Spartans 15-25, 20-25, 25- 20, 25-19 and 15-11.

On Thursday, the games continued against league foe Tri-Cities Prep. This time it was the Jaguars who took the match.

WP looked to bounce back in its eight-team home tournament. Its first opponent in pool play was league rival DeSales. The Cardinals blew the taller Irish away in the first set, 25-10. The second set was closer, but again the Cardinals prevailed 25-22 to take the match in a sweep.

Class 4A Walla Walla's JV team outmatched WP in its second match, defeating the Cards in two sets, 25-21, 25-16.

The 1-win 1-loss Car- dinals needed a victory in the final round robin match versus 1-1 Mac-Hi of Milton- Freewater, Ore., to reach the tournament semifinals. Mac- Hi took the first set, 25-23, a frustrating set for WP where they could never mount a run to take a lead. They trailed most of the set.

The second set was an- other see-saw affair until WP surged ahead late to take a, 23-18, lead. A third set seemed inevitable until the Lady Pioneers reeled off seven unanswered points to end the match again by the narrowest of margins, 25-23.

Chagrined at the outcome, the Cards loaded the bus to Prescott to compete in the consolation bracket. WP's first opponent, winless Touchet, gave the Cardinals a 3-set scare that came down to a 2-point victory in set 3. WP won 25-10, 16-25, 15-13.

Tuesday's opponent Col- fax sent its JV squad to the tournament, and WP faced them in the consolation fi- nal. This time the Birds did what they could not do to the Colfax varsity, defeating the Bulldogs in straight sets, 27- 25, 25-21.

Newly appointed setter Krystal Harris led the team in most categories for the tournament. Harris had 40 assists, 42 digs, 23 kills and 13 aces.

"We made some chang- es from this week," WP head coach Angie Potts said. "Krystal's setting right now until the younger girls get some confidence. Tuesday and Thursday we didn't play very well. There wasn't a lot of communication. Balls were getting dropped and they were looking for some- one else to take a ball they should have taken. The inex- perienced showed through in positions where we needed more experience."

WP plays again Thursday on the road versus Walla Walla Valley Academy. WP is 4-3 overall, 0-1 in league play.