Weiser volleyball team goes 1-1 against Homedale, Fruitland

by Zane Davis
 The Lady Wolverines traveled to the home of the Lady Trojans at Homedale High School early Oct. 5 to continue their Snake River Valley (SRV) Conference play.  
 Despite third set difficulties, resulting in a 12-25 loss, the Lady Wolverines rallied back to take the match 3-1 with scores of 25-8, 25-23, 12-25, and 25-22.
 Junior, Jasi Yraguen, led the Lady Wolverines with seven kills and two blocks, followed by senior, Whitney Cordes, with five kills. Junior, Mattie Shirts, added five blocks for the Wolverines, while sophomore libero, Bailey Coleman, worked hard in the back row with 22 digs. Junior setter, Danica Lockett, was also instrumental defensively with 11 digs.
Weiser vs. Fruitland
 Weiser hosted the Fruitland Grizzlies on Oct. 7.
 If you were unable to make the home match, you missed quite a game. The Lady Wolverines unfortunately lost the match 3-0 to the Grizzlies, but the scores of 20-25, 23-25, and 22-25 were definitely not indicative of the level of play that the Lady Wolverines put forth.
 In the first set, the Lady Wolverines jumped to an early 2-0 lead with kills from both Danica Lockett and Emma Tolman.
 The Grizzlies came back off a couple of Wolverine hitting errors, but the Wolverines never let down their guard, preventing the Grizzlies from taking the lead throughout the majority of the set.  
 Tied at 15-15, a service error by the Grizzlies put Whitney Cordes back behind the service line.  Big blocks and consistently aggressive play to keep everything in play allowed the Wolverines to pull ahead 18-15. Weiser succumbed to a series of errors and messy play, enabling the Grizzlies to overtake the Wolverines and grab their first lead of the set 20-19.  
 Abi Wilkins recorded a kill in the waning points of the set, but a loss of their earlier momentum led to Wolverine communication issues and mental errors, and it prevented the Lady Wolverines from making a comeback, allowing the Grizzlies to take the set 25-20.
 The lack of momentum at the end of the first set did not continue into the second set with the Wolverines taking an early 7-2 lead with solid play and aggressive defense.  
 Mattie Shirts had a big stuff block to start a 6-1 scoring run over the Grizzlies. During the surge, Shirts added two kills and Abi Wilkins had a service ace during her 5-point service streak.  
With a stretch of serve-receive issues and Wolverine errors, the Grizzlies were able to get back into the set and tie the score at 9-9.  
 The Wolverines and the Grizzlies traded points and side outs through wildly aggressive play on both sides of the net. Neither squad was willing to allow the ball to hit the ground, leading to big saves and long rallies.  
 The hard hitting by the Grizzlies was still present, but the opportunities were sporadic, as the strong play by the Wolverines kept the Grizzlies out of position and battling to keep the ball alive.  However, leading 23-22, a hard kill by the Grizzlies and a questionable out-of-bounds call on a tip by Jasi Yraguen, shifted momentum toward the Grizzlies and they were able to take the second set 25-23.
 For a third time, the Lady Wolverines didn’t dwell on the earlier set loss and took the early 3-1 lead, which they extended to 6-3 while Wilkins was serving. Shirts had a pair of big stuff blocks, and Bailey Coleman was on-fire in the back row, digging every ball in her vicinity.  
 Another couple questionable calls regarding missed touches on the Fruitland blocks, gave the Grizzlies an opportunity, but the Wolverines shook off the situation and remained focused on the plays that they could control.  
 The Lady Wolverines maintained the lead over the Grizzlies, sometimes by as much as 4-points, but the Grizzlies managed to record a trio of kills and capitalize on a few Wolverine errors to tie the set at 15-15.  
 A kill by Cordes and an aggressive rally that ended in favor of the Wolverines allowed Weiser to pull ahead again 18-16, but the Grizzlies fought back and tied the set at 20-20. Fruitland lined out the offense and with three Grizzly kills, a Wolverine hitting error, and a double contact call, the Grizzlies took the final set 25-22 and the match 3-0.
 Mattie Shirts and Abi Wilkins led the Lady Wolverines with four kills apiece. Shirts also recorded three blocks as well as three blocks for Paisley Noyer. Bailey Coleman and Abi Wilkins were instrumental in the match with 14 digs apiece.
 The loss to the Grizzlies brings the Lady Wolverines’ record to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in SRV Conference play with only a week remaining in the regular season.
 The Lady Wolverines will meet the Parma Panthers and the McCall-Donnelly Vandals this week, and the four senior players of Taylor Bushong, Emma Tolman, Whitney Cordes, and Ivy Morris will be honored at the final home match against McCall-Donnelly on Oct. 14, 2021 at Weiser High School.