Young players gain experience in loss to Lake City
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY) Junior Kaylee Banks looks to setup a teammate for a kill during Sandpoint’s match against Moscow on Saturday.
COEUR D’ALENE — Monday night’s match against Lake City had no significant meaning for Sandpoint volleyball.
So, head coach Karen Alsager decided to rest her seniors and more experienced players and give some of her younger girls a chance to see the court.
“I played all my underclassmen and they played well against a team that had six seniors on senior night so I felt pretty good about that,” she said.
Alsager wasn’t expecting her team to win and they didn’t as they fell 19-25, 17-25, 10-25. But Alsager was impressed with what she saw from her team.
“We competed with this 5A school with six seniors,” she said. “We didn’t take a game but there were girls on the court that barely played this year so it was fun to get to watch them play and I’m proud of them and I can’t wait to play Lake City next year when those six seniors are graduated and I go back at these guys with the same team.”
Despite not having most of her key players on the court for a significant amount of time, it was a familiar face that stepped up and led the team — “Big Dawg” Bella Phillips.
Phillips had six kills and four blocks in the match.
“It was exciting to watch Bella,” Alsager said. “Bella’s a jump start for us when she does anything. When she blocks or hits it just trickles through the whole team.”
Junior Kinzie Ward had eight digs and three aces and junior setter Kaylee Banks added nine set assists.
No. 3 seed Sandpoint (5-12) will get a week off before they head to No. 2 Moscow next Tuesday in the 4A Region 1 tournament. The winner will advance to play No. 1 Lakeland in the championship match Thursday, Oct. 24.