Weiser volleyball team sweeps Payette and Homedale

The Wolverines kicked off their SRV play last week with a trip to Payette on Sept. 14.  
 Weiser managed to add to their two-game win streak with a clean, 3-set sweep over the Pirates and begin their league play with a 25-10, 25-21, 25-18 victory.
 With the strong serving of sophomore, Abi Wilkins, the Wolverines soon found themselves up 6-1. The Pirates inched within one-point, but when senior, Whitney Cordes, began serving, the Wolverines pulled away with a 12-7 lead. Despite a 3-point surge by the Pirates, junior, Jasi Yraguen, served out the remainder of the set with a 13-point run to take the first set 25-10.
 The Pirates rallied in the beginning of the second set, taking an early 4-3 lead, but the Lady Wolverines quickly regrouped. The two squads traded points and side-outs until Cordes began serving and pulled the Wolverines ahead 9-7. Yraguen kept the scoring increases going, maintaining the lead 11-8.  
 Once again, the Pirates found a surge and tied the set 12-12 and again at 15-15, but when Mattie Shirts stepped behind the service line, the Wolverines pulled ahead 20-15. The Pirates battled for the next four rotations, but the Wolverine lead was too large, and the Lady Wolverines took the second set 25-21.
 The Lady Wolverines surged ahead quickly in the third set and after a mere three rotations, the Wolverines held a commanding 10-3 lead over the Pirates. Payette battled through the set, but the early 7-point lead by the Wolverines proved to be insurmountable and Weiser took the third and final set 25-18 and the match 3-0.
 Mattie Shirts had a big night with 8 kills, 4 service aces, and 2 blocks, followed by Whitney Cordes with 6 kills. Setters, Danica Lockett and Ivy Morris, had 18 and 11 assists respectively for the match.
Homedale
 Following a big win over the Payette Pirates last week, the Lady Wolverines hosted the visiting Homedale Trojans in Tom Falash Gymnasium.
 Weiser notched a 3-set sweep of the Trojan squad.
 The evening started out with a special surprise for both the players and the Wolverine fans, as Jenaye Grant, the 8-year old daughter of varsity head coach, Lindsay Grant, performed a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
 The Wolverines came out strong in the first set, but despite extremely aggressive play and fighting to keep every ball in play, coupled with strong serving, blocking, and hitting, Weiser trailed the Trojans throughout the majority of the first set.  
 The Lady Wolverines were behind 11-13 when a double contact call on the Trojans sent freshman, Paisley Noyer, back to serve. Three poor hits by the Trojans, coupled with a big kill by Whitney Cordes, gave the Wolverines their largest lead of the set at 16-13.  
 The surge was brief, as a bad pass and a hit into the tape on the Wolverine side enabled the Trojans to tie the set 16-16. Junior, Jasi Yraguen, halted the Trojan surge with a big kill from the middle blocker position, which was followed with a kill from Abi Wilkins, and a sneaky tip kill by Ivy Morris on the second contacts, giving the Wolverines a 4-point, 20-16 advantage.  
 Ace serves by both Yraguen and Danica Lockett, as well as kills from Emma Tolman, Wilkins and Morris, helped the Wolverines go on a 5-3 scoring run and take the first set from the Trojans 25-19.
 Weiser took the next two sets 25-16 and 25-18.
 The win for the Lady Wolverines brought their season record to 4-1 and 2-0 in SRV Conference play. Weiser will host the Parma Panthers at Weiser High School on Thursday, Sept. 23.