Power hitters help Bulldogs punch ticket to state

SANDPOINT — With the season on the line, the Bulldogs did what they do best, hammering ball after ball at Moscow en route to a 25-17, 25-16, 25-18 straight set win the championship of the 4A Region 1 volleyball tournament Thursday night at Les Rogers Court.

Senior Grace Hicks led the way with a match-high 17 kills, to go with 15 digs, six blocks and five aces for the Bulldogs (20-9), who punched their ticket to next weekend’s state volleyball tournament.

Hicks closed out both of the first two sets on lengthy service runs, and after missing out on state last season, was happy to hoist the trophy with her teammates.

“It feels good to bring it back home and end on a good note,” said Hicks, one of a bevy of power hitters in the Bulldogs’ attack. “Our offense puts balls down and don’t worry that it’s going to come back.”

Jenny Slaveck added seven kills, Jaz Stockton 14 digs along with some power spikes and Shelby Kluver ended some points with precision as setter Marina Breuner spread the ball around to a bevy of option. Lilly Anderson added 11 digs, and Gabby Hicks six blocks and five kills, and like her sister in the first two sets, Gabby closed out the third with some strong serves.

Bulldog head coach Jeff Hurst praised the surprisingly strong and scrappy defense of the Bears, who kept all three sets close before Sandpoint showed a strong ability to close things out in a hurry.

“Hats off to Moscow, they were ramped up for this,” said Hurst, who called the win ‘totally awesome.’ “We’re like air assault vehicles, we just keep shellacking the ball and at some point that overwhelms. I’m sure proud of the girls.”

Hurst praised the play of Grace Hicks after the Bulldogs dug a hole in the first set, and at different times when her team needed it.

“You saw Grace Hicks turn on the switch and take it to another level,” described Hurst. “She singlehandedly put us on her back in the first game.”

Breuner kept the Moscow block guessing by mixing things up, and guided an offense that takes swings from all over the court. Breuner was aided by some excellent serve receive from the back line, making the offense click in rhythm.

She described the feeling of earning a state berth as amazing.

“We’ve worked extremely hard,” said Breuner, who hopes the team can make some noise at state. “Being confident, it’s our last year. Be confident in how hard we’ve worked.”

Kluver, who hit some sharp angles on kills, echoed a similar sentiment about the hard work paying off, and feels the Bulldogs could be a wild card at state.

“Our blocking defense is strong, and we’re getting a lot of balls down. We’re really scrappy,” described Kluver, casting an eye toward state. “I think we can win. It will take 100 percent from everybody.”

The 4A state tournament is Oct. 26-27 at Rocky Mountain High School.