SHS volleyball tries to build on last year's momentum

The Sandpoint volleyball team started slow in 2021, losing eight out of its first ten matches.

After winning its first match in nearly two months against Bonners Ferry, the Bulldogs managed to take down 5A Lewiston immediately after 3-1.

The Bulldogs closed out their season with five straight losses and pushed Lakeland to the limit in the first round of the Class 4A Region 1 volleyball tournament.

“I felt like we were confident, we just weren’t confident enough to reach through that 25-point threshold,” Sandpoint volleyball coach Karen Alsager said. “We could compete in the low 20s but we didn’t have the confidence to step through.”

Alsager spent 11 years as the head coach of the Bulldogs before retiring in 2016. She led Sandpoint to two state championship victories in 2006 and 2008.

She came back in 2019 and is now three years deep into her second stint as the head coach of the Bulldogs.

“I was asked by the school to come out of retirement,” Alsager said. “I thought I was only going to do it for a year to get some of my younger coaches coached up to take over the program, but we’re having so much fun so we’ve kept our roles and kept coaching.”

The experienced coach will be bringing back essentially the same lineup that went 3-13 a year ago.

“We’re hoping to be competitive and do some damage and be competitive the year after that, ‘’ Alsager said. “The team did a five-week long summer program that had a three-day-a-week clinical training and a scrimmage.”

One of the returning pieces for the Bulldogs in 2022 will be Hailey Roeder, who’s coming back for her senior season.

“I’m expecting a lot from her in the front row,” Alsager said. “She had a fantastic summer, and she’s working hard. She’s smart, she’s not going to just hit everything. She’s going after the ball and making a play.”

Livia Owens, who was a starting middle back for the Bulldogs last year, will miss half the season due to an ankle injury.

She’s going through personal training right now, but Alsager is confident she’ll make an instant impact on the Sandpoint volleyball team when she returns.

Aubree Lane and Hayley Swaim, who were on the junior varsity team a year ago, should also make some noise in 2022 following a solid club season.

“(Hayley) is a great setter, and no one works harder than her,” Alsager said. “(Aubree) can hit, pass, and severe. She can really do it all. She’s a great utility player.”

Finally, Alsager noted that Vivian Platte, who’s entering her junior year, has the most power on the team.

“I’m expecting big things out of (Vivian),” Alsager said. “She’ll be a great addition with her hitting and blocking.”

Sandpoint also hired about nine coaches to work with the athletes. They also had a weight-lifting course.

“It was nice to cover things that we don’t have to in August,” Alsager said. “We also had a lot of freshmen. We had 24 freshmen come through the camp.”

This was beneficial for Alsager and the freshmen because the young athletes had the opportunity to head into the season a step ahead and Alsager had the chance to get to know the players.

Alsager and the Sandpoint coaching staff also help with the eighth grade club team.

“We really work with them to get them ready for the next level,” Alsager said. “We expect that they’ll lay a good foundation.”

The future of the Sandpoint High School volleyball program appears to be bright following the success of the eighth grade club team.

The club would often get first and second place at tournaments, which has got them used to winning, which will help their confidence to push through tough situations.

The biggest task for the Bulldogs is being able to get out of their comfort zone and be able to compete and win matches in 2022.

“I really like our athletic volleyball student body that we have right now,” Alsager said. “They’re coachable kids. I just wish they were a little more gritty on the court. My coaching staff tries to work on getting them to be loud, verbal, and aggressive, and I’m still waiting for that to happen.”

The Sandpoint High School volleyball team will open up its season on Friday, Aug 26.

Following its season opener, the Bulldogs will head to the Lewis-Clark Valley to take part in the Judy Fong tournament at Lewis-Clark State College on Saturday, Aug 27.

Lewiston will then take the trip to Sandpoint to take on the Bulldogs.

Timberlake will also make the trip to play Sandpoint in doubleheader play at Sandpoint High School.