Two Losses Send Dogs Home

SPOKANE - The Day­ton volleyball team closed its season at playoffs for the state tournament at West Valley High School last Saturday after two back-to-back losses.

The Bulldogs faced off against the Reardan In­dians at 10 a.m. Satur­day morning, but couldn't match the Indians' speed.

The Bulldogs fell quickly in the first set, 25- 10. Unable to keep up with the Indians' quick hits and aggressive playing style, the Bulldogs struggled to make any points.

In the second set, the Bulldogs gained a little more traction, but still left openings for the Indians to hit for points. Despite be­ing able to put more points on the board, the Bulldogs still fell in the second set, 25-15.

In the third set, the Bull­dogs held the Indians lon­ger, breaking up scoring streaks and working hard to cover as much of the court as they could, but they still couldn't score enough to win the set, fall­ing, 25-17.

In the first match, McK­ayla Bickelhaupt had eight kills and 10 digs and went five-for-six at the service line. Jessica Tate had three assists and nine digs and went seven-for-seven at the service line. Chelsea Wooldridge had seven as­sists and went seven-for- eight at the service line. Sarah Phillips had six digs and went seven-for-seven at the service line. Lexi Ramirez went eight-for- eight at the service line. Madison Mings went five- for-six at the service line.

The Bulldogs hit the court again at 1:30 p.m. to take on the Asotin Pan­thers. The match was a shot for the Bulldogs to redeem themselves after falling to Asotin earlier in the season.

In the first set, that re­demption looked like it might be in the cards. The teams seemed evenly matched with long volleys and intense play.

The score was close until the Bulldogs were able to break away with a five-point streak early in the set.

A couple of well-timed aces gave the Bulldogs the momentum they needed to pull ahead and finish the set ahead, taking down the Panthers, 25-20.

In the second set the teams were still matched point for point until a four- point run broke a 12-12 tie in the Panthers' favor.

The Bulldogs couldn't match the lost points and finished the set behind, 25-18.

Tensions were high when the third set opened. The Panthers broke away from the opening, but broke their own momen­tum when the set had to be delayed because of water on the court.

The bulldogs used the opening to scramble to regain some of their lost ground, but they couldn't score enough to pick up the lead. The set ended with a final score of 25-21, Panthers.

The Bulldogs could see the tournament end­ing when the fourth set started. The team was shaken and the Panthers pounced on the oppor­tunity, scoring three- and four-point streaks to leave the Bulldogs behind and win the set and match with a final score of 25- 19, Panthers.

Bickelhaupt had 14 kills, 21 digs and went 12-for-14 at the service line. Tate had 13 assists, eight digs and went six-for-six at the ser­vice line. Breyana Myrick had seven kills. Wooldridge had 15 assists, eight digs and went nine-for-10 at the service line. Ramirez had 12 digs and went 14-for-16 at the service line.

Mings had eight kills, 14 blocks, seven digs and went 14-for-15 at the service line. Phillips went 16-for- 17 at the service line.

Head Coach Shannon Turner said the team im­proved a lot through the season, but struggled to be consistent during the tour­nament.

"We looked like a differ­ent team (from one match to the next)," Turner said.

Turner said the Rear­dan Indians are a strong team and she thought the Bulldogs put up a fight and played pretty well.

Turner also said both seniors, Bickelhaupt and Tate, played hard and were good leaders for the rest of the team.

Next year, Turner ex­pects the younger players to grow into an even better team.