Playing its eighth game in five days, SHS volleyball beats Libby

LIBBY — Eight games. Five days. Four cities. Two states.

Sporting teams don’t usually go on tour, but Sandpoint volleyball’s past week or so has been awfully close to one. The Bulldogs completed another stop on their quasi-tour on Thursday night with a 25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 25-14 win over Libby (Mont.).

“We came here and we thought we were probably going to tromp some little Montana school, but we were happily surprised that they were a good team,” Sandpoint head coach Karen Alsager said on the 90-minute drive back to Sandpoint. “They took us to four and the did some good things, so I’m happy with that. I don’t want to travel this far and play a team that’s not going to challenge us.”

Against the Lady Loggers, the Bulldogs’ had balanced offensive attack behind Jenny Slaveck and Katie Korn’s nine kills apiece, plus Gabby Hicks’ eight.

Another bright side: Sandpoint is now 7-4 thanks to Korn finding her serve in the fourth set. Korn earned the bulk of her team-high seven aces down the stretch in order to put the Lady Loggers away.

“I kind of talked to Katie Korn about her serves — she either gets an ace or she gets it out,” Alsager said. “Before game four, we had a little chat and she had a nice seven-point serving run with two aces. Then she had a four-point run with another ace.”

Slaveck also led the team with 18 digs, while Sam Koster notched 17 while playing libero in place of Kinzie Ward, who sustained a concussion against Lake City on Monday.

Ward isn’t alone.

Predictably, the schedule has taken a toll on the Bulldogs — many of whom are playing consistent varsity minutes for the first time. Injuries are abound on the roster, yet Alsager said the team is still enjoying playing with one another through this gauntlet.

“We went around the circle [afterwards] and I don’t think I have a player without some injury right now,” Sandpoint head coach Karen Alsager said. “It’s rough, I feel like we’re going to war every time we play.”

Sandpoint will play its ninth game in seven days on Saturday at home against Kellogg. The game is at 2:30 p.m.