Sandpoint digs in for volleyball win

SANDPOINT — After a uneasy opening game, the Sandpoint Bulldogs dug in and pulled out an Inland Empire League volleyball victory over Coeur d'Alene Thursday night.

The Vikings took game one 25-11, before the Bulldogs rallied back with three straight wins, 25-21, 25-15, 25-20, to claim the match at Sandpoint High School.

"I felt like we had good ball control in the first game, which led into our offense being a lot more successful," said Coeur d'Alene coach Carly Curtis. "After that our ball control got pretty sketchy."

Leading the Bulldogs in digs was junior Cody Helander with 20, senior teammate Ketti Wehrle had 15 digs. Senior Amy Bradetich earned 11 assists and two aces.

"I think that after that first game the girls realized that they had nothing to lose so they left it all out there on the court," said Sandpoint coach Tiwi Nicks, who looks at this win as a confidence builder. "The girls are doing great, they are working hard and we are figuring things out — I'm really proud of them."

Senior Kelsey James led the Bulldogs with 14 kills, 14 assists and four aces. Senior Caitlyn Free finished with nine kills, five blocks and two aces.

"The first game wasn't so hot, but then we raised out intensity level, we got really excited and eliminated out errors," said Free.

Coeur d'Alene junior Jackie Lenz played a solid game with 29 digs and three aces. Jamie Anderson led the Vikings in kills with 10, while Katie Davidson had 18 assists and Rachel Moore earned five blocks.

"We had a lot of good things happen, but we also have a lot of stuff we need to work on," said Curtis.

Sandpoint (1-1) travels to Washington for the Walla Walla Tournament on Saturday.