Bulldogs win Silver Bracket at Lakeland Invite
—Courtesy photo The Bulldogs won the Silver bracket championship at the Lakeland Invite volleyball tournament on Saturday, finishing a strong day with a 5-1 record. Pictured from left to right are Cheyenne Nicholson, Laney Search, Grace Kirscher, Alexis Davis, Grace Hicks, Kayla Neumann, Shelby Kluver, McCalee Cain and Marina Breuner.
SANDPOINT — A close tie-breaker criteria went against them, bumping the Bulldogs into the Silver Bracket, where they cruised to the championship at the Lakeland Invite on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (11-5) beat Reardon 25-16, 25-17 in the first pool play, then split sets with Cheney, but a tie-breaker went against them, so they dropped into the Silver bracket. All told, they finished 9th out of 24 teams, after beating Ferris 25-16, 25-23 in the championship following straight set wins against Lakeland, East Valley and Bonners Ferry.
“A good day for team growth. They worked hard and overcame some mental and physical obstacles,” said Bulldogs head coach Erin Roos, noting the 12 hour tournaments can make for long days. “I’m proud of my team for maintaining high energy and focus. They played smart and together.”
Kayla Neumann and Grace Hicks once again led the attack, with Neumann tallying 38 kills, 31 digs, six blocks and five aces, and Hicks 37 kills, 12 assists and eight blocks.
When she wasn’t doling out a team-high 89 set assists, Laney Search added 20 kills, 37 digs and 10 aces, Shelby Kluver 18 kills, 22 digs and six aces, Grace Kirscher 17 kills and nine blocks and Alexis Davis 11 kills and a team-high 10 blocks.
“We had some really high hitting percentages, as a team we hit .256 for the day. Excellent net play from Alexis Davis, Grace Hicks and Grace Kirscher,” praised Roos, whose team continues to use the serve as a weapon. “Outstanding serving from Shelby, who led a strong attack from the outside. Cheyenne Nicholson served well and passed up a steady ball to our setters.”
Nicholson finished with 33 digs and nine aces and McCalee Cain 49 digs, 38 assists and four aces, helping anchor the back for defensively.
Sandpoint will tip off 4A Inland Empire League play on Thursday at Lakeland.