New coach has Bulldogs aiming high in 2018

Hurst returns in search of title No. 15

By ERIC PLUMMER

Sports editor

SANDPOINT — If you look closely at the volleyballs the Bulldog girls are smashing around the gym in preparation for their 2018 season opener, you’ll notice the No. 15 written on each ball.

It’s an homage to the past and a connection to the future all at once, not unlike new head coach Jeff Hurst, starting his second tenure with the Bulldogs after replacing Erin Roos.

Hurst is no stranger to Sandpoint volleyball, but it’s certainly been a while. He coached the team to four of its whopping 14 state championships, winning titles in 1994, 95, 99 and 2000. Hence the No. 15, a number the coach is not shy about bringing up often.

Consider the bar set high by Hurst, a former All-American volleyball player at Ohio State University back in the day.

“We can’t even talk without talking about a state championship. Sandpoint volleyball is back. These kids will learn to dig and dig deep. If you dig deep, trust me and believe in me, go on the journey together, you’ll get through it,” claims Hurst, who understands full well what it takes to win a state title. “You have to have that vision. We talk about it all the time, the kids are fired up. We’re not going to go play. We’re going to go win. It’s competition sports, not rec league.”

The Bulldogs finished 14-18 last year and spent a rare year away from the state tournament. The last of the 14 state titles came 10 years ago, and the Bulldogs would love nothing more than to update their state résumé with a more recent championship.

Leading the quest will be 6-1 senior middle blocker Grace Hicks, the returning 4A Inland Empire League MVP after a standout junior campaign and three year starter.

Hicks was huge in league play, posting 19 kills, 17 digs, 25 assists and five blocks against Moscow, stuffing both the stat sheet and the opponent. With a diverse skillset, Hurst is planning to leave his main gun in the rotation full time, a rare two-row player.

“She’s too good to have off the floor. Grace equals leadership, she’s a team leader, no question,” praises Hurst of his next level talent. “Her offensive ability is tremendous. She has so much potential, she’s barely scratched the surface.”

With a bevy of power hitters at every corner of the floor, the Bulldogs will run a 5-1 offense with 6-foot senior Marina Breuner orchestrating the attack as the lone setter.

And when Hurst talks about his offense, attack is an apt adjective.

“Massive air traffic attack. Kids taking swings from every quadrant of the court,” describes Hurst of his offense. “You’ll have to go out and beat us, we’re not going to give it to you. The attack is coming right now, from every spot on the floor.”

Finishing some of Breuner’s deft sets will be a pair of returning all-league seniors in Jazmin Stockton and Shelby Kluver, each of whom can end points in a hurry.

The two boast a lot of varsity experience, and bring some intangibles and leadership to the floor along with firepower.

“Jazmin is small, but she’s got a big vertical. She has her head over the net, a tremendous athlete,” says Hurst. “Shelby will bring senior leadership, the girls love playing with her. She always gets us fired up. A pit bull, a gamer. She’s a Kluver.”

Also capable of hitting double figures in kills is 6-0 junior Jenny Slaveck, who took over games at times last year with power kills that fired the crowd up, and sophomore Gabby Hicks, who really came on strong late last season as she earned minutes.

Breuner posted 30 set assists and four aces against Lakeland. With a bevy of options for setting, perhaps the best one might be herself, as Hurst expects Breuner to take some swings when the block is not prepared.

“You’ll see her jump set, then she will throw the ball down,” predicts Hurst. “She’ll be a sixth offensive threat.”

If there is a common denominator for championship volleyball teams, not unlike most sports, it’s a rock-solid defense. Everyone can hit, but the teams that keep the tough balls alive and do the dirty work are the ones that usually advance at state.

Anchoring the back row for the Bulldogs will be senior Lilly Anderson, who came up big last year against Moscow with 16 digs and four assists. She’ll be joined by senior Helen Merwin, a hustler and strong server, on the back line.

“Lilly is a fierce competitor, really gets in front of balls,” says Hurst. “Helen will pick up all that junk and send it up, covering a big area.”

Providing minutes off the bench in the rotation will be freshman Kivia Barlow in the middle, outside hitter Aly Lish and sophomore setter CeCe Deprez.

Hurst puts an emphasis on the first syllable of Sandpoint, one of the reasons that like Roos before him, he puts the team through rigorous workouts at City Beach during tryouts.

Hurst is cut from an old-school cloth, and his coaching style will be demanding and in-your-face at times, but he obviously knows his stuff and knows what it takes to reach the upper echelon of the 4A ranks.

“They’ve heard the rumors ‘he’s tough, he’s mean.’ It’s part of the intensity,” admits Hurst. “I’m not mad at you, but there’s a metric that needs to be met.”

He plans to have the team focus on five point stretches, or micro-games as Hurst calls them, and let the rest of the match take care of itself.

For Stockton, the key to a strong season will be a fast start, setting an early tone and building from there.

“Executing from the start, play good right off the bat,” she says. “Our offense is our biggest strength right now. We have multiple hitters no matter who’s in the front row.”

One of those hitters is Hicks, who can unload some college-level kills when everything is timed up right. She also puts up a mean block, and is skilled in the back row as well.

If all goes well, who knows, maybe the Bulldogs can make a run at No. 15. But for Hicks, it’s first things first.

“I think we can make it to state, we’re fully capable. The goal is the state championship, but we’ll take it one day at a time, one game at a time,” says Hicks, who doesn’t just want to compete with the 5A IEL teams, but beat them. “The teams we’ll face at state are like the 5As. We put everything else aside and focus on a volleyball mindset of nothing else matters.”