Sandpoint volleyball team seeking another banner for the rafters

| October 30, 2008 9:00 PM

SANDPOINT - The Sandpoint volleyball team begins its quest for state title No. 14 today when they open the state 4A volleyball tournament against Rigby this morning at Skyview High School in Idaho Falls.

Nobody will need to remind the Bulldogs (25-2) about Rigby (28-17), which stunned them in the first round of the state tournament last season. Sandpoint was forced to fight back through the loser's bracket to make the title game before finally running out of gas against Bonneville in the championship.

Sandpoint and Bonneville (32-1) have combined to win seven of the possible eight 4A state titles since 2000, and an argument could certainly be made they're the top two teams in the state this season, regardless of classification.

Sandpoint head coach Karen Alsager believes that her team will need to feature a power serving game to have success, keeping the taller middles they're sure to face further off the net offensively. If other teams struggle in the passing game on weak service returns, it neutralizes the Bulldogs' sleight height disadvantage.

Abby Helander, Piper Wahlin, Christina Johnson, Linnia Hawkins and Koko James are among the Bulldogs employing a jump serve this year, and each is capable of running points from the service box. Adrianna Bucholtz and Kaiti Lunde give the Bulldogs a solid block, and Allison Halliday, Emilie Kuster, Blake Plaster and Sam Burratto will be counted on to log quality minutes off the bench in the grind that can be the state championships.

The group is no stranger to tournament volleyball, boasting a host of prestigious wins in the past several seasons. This year their only two losses came in close defeats against Lewis and Clark, the No. 1 ranked team in Washington, and Coeur d'Alene, a team they beat the second time they faced each other.

If Sandpoint gets past Rigby, a team whose 17 losses came against strong southeastern Idaho competition, they'll face the winner of Skyview and Wood River in the second round at 6:45 p.m.