One week after failing to sweep Toutle Lake, the Rainier High School volleyball team swept Wahkiakum, 3-0 (25-5, 25-12, 25-18), on Thursday, Oct. 5.
In last week’s match against Toutle Lake, the Mountaineers took the first two sets but lost the final three. So when they took a 2-0 lead against the Mules in Thursday’s conference match, head coach Carrie Ooms told her team not to let up again.
“Just push all the way through and don’t let up,” Ooms said she told her team. “Fight until the end until we’ve finished that third set.”
The Mountaineers came firing out of the gates in the first set, dominating the Mules, 25-5. They continued their dominance in the second set, using a run of seven consecutive points to pull away. Rainier only trailed for a brief time during the match as the Mules scored the first two points of the third set before the Mountaineers responded with five straight.
Ooms credited the team’s dominance to an increased energy and improvement in location on the court, particularly on defense.
“When those two things are working, that’s when we play our best,” she said. “I think we could be great, very competitive. I think we could be up there and just as competitive as some of the top teams in our league, like Napavine and Adna.”
Junior Brooklynn Swenson continued her strong start to the season with a team-high 20 assists and four service aces. Lilly Johnson supplied 14 digs and three service aces, and Olivia Earsley also recorded 14 digs. On offense, Allyson Ooms led the way with 10 kills, while Acacia Murphy and Anika Plowman each had eight kills.
The Mountaineers (6-3, 1-1 Central 2B League) also faced Winlock High School on Tuesday, Oct. 10 in a road league matchup. Results were not available as of press time. They will next face Kalama High School at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12 at Rainier High School.
