It took until the eighth match of the season for the Rainier High School volleyball team to face its first five-setter, but the Mountaineers staved off Mossyrock, 3-2, at home on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Donning new two-tone orange and white uniforms for the first time, Rainier sported a full roster after several players battled illness last week. But the Mountaineers looked sluggish in the opening set, committing frequent mental errors and struggling to put pressure on Mossyrock offensively.
After scoring the first point of the set, Rainier never led again and lost, 25-12. In the second set, the Mountaineers looked like a completely different squad as their energy and communication was vastly improved from the first set. The second set was a flip from the first in that the Vikings scored first but never led again en route to a 25-13 Rainier win.
Rainier head coach Carrie Ooms said the difference between the first and second sets came down to the players’ mentality.
“Usually when we get down on ourselves, it’s really hard for us to pick it back up, and I think we bounced right back from the first set and taking a little bit to get warmed up,” she said. “[The difference was] the girls’ focus, their determination, their energy, and they were moving their feet. It was just a night and day difference from the first set.”
Rainier’s momentum carried into the third set, and the Mountaineers led wire to wire en route to a 25-17 win. Their jitters and flat feet returned late in the set, as Mossyrock cut a 12-point deficit to seven, but the Mountaineers took care of business to close it out.
The Mountaineers capitalized on quick attacks right at Vikings players and catching them off guard or forcing tough digs.
“We had our areas that I had told the girls, ‘Hey, here’s what’s open. These are their weaknesses. If we can push it to there, that’s where we’re strongest,” Ooms said.
With a 2-1 game lead, the Mountaineers’ struggles crept back onto the court in the fourth. Mossyrock used several big runs to take a 20-8 lead, but, unlike the first set, the Mountaineers battled back with their backs against the wall.
The thunderous applause from the home crowd became deafening as the Mountaineers rallied for a 12-2 run to cut the lead to three. But the Vikings quickly shushed the crowd and finished the set, 25-21.
As the fifth and final set got underway, Rainier senior Acacia Murphy appeared possessed by an urge to do whatever it took to win. Her spikes grew more vicious, she contested every Mossyrock attack, and she covered every inch of the floor trying to keep the Vikings off the board.
“She really wanted it. Part of her role as a captain is to help that motivation and light a fire under everybody else to get them going and get them motivated,” Ooms said. “I think she plays better under pressure and stress. She plays smarter.”
Murphy shined in the fifth, recording kills on four of Rainier’s first six points of the set before she was substituted out. She returned to the court with Rainier in front, 10-9, and she picked up right where she left off, immediately picking up another kill.
Allyson Ooms halted any hopes of a Vikings comeback with a killshot between a trio of Mossyrock defenders who could only watch as the ball hit the court, sending the student section into delirium. Murphy finished with team highs in both kills (16) and blocks (eight), while Ooms added 12 kills, two blocks and 14 digs. Brooklynn Swenson enjoyed an impressive outing with 28 assists and finished 100% on serves.
Chesney Schultz and Brooke Schwartz led Mossyrock with nine kills apiece, and Taylor Schwartz logged a game-high 21 digs.
Rainier (7-1) closes out non-league play on a three-game winning streak and will welcome Onalaska (6-2) on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. to open the Central 2B League season.
