Sandpoint takes 'baby steps' in three-set win over Bonners Ferry

BONNERS FERRY — Sandpoint volleyball made quick work of the Bonners Ferry Badgers on the road, winning 25-19, 25-10 and 25-17 on Sept. 3.

While the Bulldogs are sitting at 2-0 less than a week into the season, Sandpoint head coach Karen Alsager has her eyes set on the team’s long-term goals.

“We’re still far away from how I want our offense to be run,” Sandpoint head coach Karen Alsager said. “We took baby steps forward today, but they’re chugging forward.”

Junior Gabby Hicks led the Bulldogs with 10 kills, eight digs and three blocks, while fellow junior CeCe Deprez finished with seven digs and senior Jenny Slaveck notched eight kills. Hicks’ established some consistency in the back row, which Alsager noted as a bright spot for the Bulldogs in the season so far.

“Gabby is starting to hit really hard from the back row,” Alsager said. “We’re starting to see some consistency there.”

Hicks, however, wasn’t the only player with a consistent outing in the 3-0 win. Sophomore Lauren Breuner came into the third set and served a team-high six service aces in order to put the Badgers away for good.

“She does that all the time to our team in practice,” Alsager said of Breuner’s serving. “It was fun to see her do it in a game. To step out as a sophomore and do that is pretty unique; it’s special.”

The Bulldogs are about to embark on a busy week of volleyball, giving them ample opportunities to take more steps towards playing Alsager’s fast-paced brand of volleyball. Sandpoint will host Timberlake on Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. before taking a weekend trip to Lewiston for a tournament on Saturday.

“The things we’re doing in practice aren’t carrying over into games just yet,” Alsager said. “We’re hoping that the [Lewiston] tournament this weekend will give us some playing time to turn things around. It’s nice to have Ws, but it’s bittersweet because we have a long way to go.”