Bulldogs hungry for another banner

The Sandpoint volleyball team begins the quest for their 11th state championship Friday when they open the 4A tournament against Century at 8:30 a.m. at Kimberly High School in Twin Falls.

The Inland Empire League and district champions bring a wealth of talent and firepower to the floor. Katie Watson, Jackie Palaniuk, Kaitlyn Lunde, Brooke DeMers, Koko James, Lydia Tollbom and Piper Wahlin are all capable of hammering home kills, leaving opposing defenses to pick their poison.

"We just seem so balanced this year," says second year coach Karen Alsager. "I know we can beat the teams at state; my expectations are high."

Bulldogs (18-4) defensive specialists Savanna Lester, Abby Helander, Lori Jensen and Julia Witte make teams work extra hard to earn points with their scrappy defense.

"We have a lot more passion this year," says Lester, captain of the team. "I'm really confident in this team. I think we're going to go very far."

The Bulldogs won only two games last season, and have used that as a motivating force this year.

"Oh my god we worked our asses off," says Palaniuk, the team's ace server. "I'm not going to lie, we've earned what we've got. We're going all the way (at state) for sure."