Bulldogs 'miss an opportunity' against Lakeland
(Photo by KYLE CAJERO) Sandpoint senior Aly Lish digs out a serve during the Bulldogs’ 16-25, 19-25, 24-26 home loss to Lakeland on Sept. 17. Lish, who plans on studying sports journalism after a year abroad in Australia post-graduation, was one of four class of 2020 seniors honored on senior night.
SANDPOINT — Before Sandpoint volleyball and Lakeland took the court on Tuesday night, Sandpoint’s band packed the stands, the student section rose to its feet and the quartet of seniors were on an emotional high after being honored in front of a crowd of hundreds at Les Rogers Court.
Everything was in its right place for a statement rivalry win.
Then the Bulldogs’ opening serve went into the net, and things got out of hand from there When all was said and done, Lakeland beat Sandpoint 25-16, 25-19, 26-24 to move to 2-0 in conference play.
“Lakeland is a talented team and we can’t beat a team like that without rising to the occasion,” Sandpoint head coach Karen Alsager said. “We missed an opportunity tonight.”
Sandpoint’s offense was out of sync from the onset, as the Bulldogs fell behind 5-1 in the first set.
“We struggled with passing,” Alsager said. “When we can’t get that started, it has a trickle-down effect. Then our setters are running into the 13-feet line to set, and our hitters can’t get good angles on the ball.”
Unfortunately for Sandpoint, Lakeland star Katy Ryan took advantage of their miscues, establishing her presence early with a rocketing kill past a pair of diving Bulldogs. The 6’4” Ryan would finish with 19 kills and a pair of blocks.
“We try not to get emotional when [Ryan] gets a kill because that’s just going to happen,” Alsager said. “There’s nothing you can do about that.”
To their credit, the Bulldogs rallied from behind in nearly every set — most notably with a 5-0 run late in the third set.
With Katie Korn serving on her senior night, the Hawks’ back row couldn’t get a clean platform on their returns. Slowly but surely, the Bulldogs chipped away at the lead and eventually tied it up at 16-all, forcing a Lakeland timeout.
On the very next possession, Gabby Hicks’ notched her fourth and final kill of the night by dropping a shot in between the Hawks’ defense. She and Sandpoint went after the aforementioned Ryan on the next point, baiting her into a tough return that shanked out of bounds.
Ryan wasn’t fooled on the next point. Just as she had done all game, Ryan attacked the right sideline, slotting a kill past a diving Sam Koster and quashing a seemingly pivotal moment for the Bulldogs.
But Sandpoint junior Bella Phillips had other ideas. A crafty block at the net, plus senior Jenny Slaveck’s resounding kill tied the game at 22. Both teams then traded service errors — including a net-ball when the Bulldogs led 24-23.
“I think we caught the moment for a while but just couldn’t hold onto it,” Alsager said, recalling the rally Sandpoint staged with its back against the wall. “It was unfortunate that we missed that serve at 24-all.”
Tuesday’s loss marked only the second league loss to the Hawks since 2005. But unlike most years, the 4A rivals met before conference play. The Hawks beat Sandpoint earlier this season at a tournament in Lewiston.
While the familiarity with the Hawks might’ve come in handy before Tuesday night, Alsager believes neither team was firing on all cylinders this time around.
Both teams traded service errors, double-touch calls and made establishing a rhythm all but impossible midway through the second set.
“I didn’t feel like Lakeland played as good as they played earlier this season,” Alsager said. “That’s unfortunate.”
Slaveck and Hicks led the Bulldogs with four kills apiece, Katie Stewart led the Bulldogs with six digs and CeCe Deprez added a pair of aces. Hicks also had a team-high two blocks.
Sandpoint (0-1 IEL) continues league play at Moscow this Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. conference thus far.