Sandpoint Senior Trio Heads All-North Team

Half of the Sandpoint High School volleyball team’s starting lineup is represented on The Spokesman-Review All-North Idaho Team.

Appropriately, the three Sandpoint players - seniors Alli Nieman and Tiwi Bond, both middle hitters, and setter Stacey Moline - were the top vote getters, too. Nieman was the lone unanimous selection in a vote of the region’s coaches.

Joining the Bulldogs on the all-senior first team are: outside hitters Jenny Owen of Lake City, Andrea Gomez of Lewiston and Eanna Aaron of Bonners Ferry, middle hitter Joy Sperry of Wallace and backrow specialist Angie Epler of St. Maries.

Nieman, Sperry and Aaron are repeat All-North Idaho selections.

All the players will have an opportunity to play volleyball, basketball or a combination thereof in college. The three Bulldogs, in fact, made their college intentions clear last week. Nieman signed a letter of intent to play basketball and volleyball at Idaho, while Moline verbally committed to play volleyball at Villanova and Bond did likewise at Northern Arizona. The volleyball signing period is in February.

Sandpoint coach Jeff Hurst watched his team capture a second straight State A-1 championship. It was nearly a perfect season, too. The Bulldogs took a 22-0 record to state, then suffered their first loss in the semifinal.

But the Bulldogs bounced back to defeat Hillcrest twice - just as they did the year before - as Sandpoint finished the season with a 27-1 record.

Hurst appreciated being honored by his peers, but admitted, “Anybody probably could have coached this team to a state championship.”

Though Hillcrest was disappointed to finish runner-up to Sandpoint a second straight year, Knights coach Jeff Craven managed to keep a sense of humor.

“I think they sandbagged us in the first match,” Craven said of the semifinal win over the Bulldogs. “They are indeed the champions.”

Said Hurst: “(The state title) is their (the kids’) prize. I’m happy with what I did with them in terms of my coaching skills. The kids just gutted it out and have heart.”

Representing the biggest chunk of the Bulldogs’ heart were Nieman, Bond and Moline.

Consistent best describes Moline’s season. The setter boasted confidence and it was frequently expressed through an infectious smile. She was particularly effective with the quick and back sets to Nieman and Bond.

The 6-foot-1 Nieman led the Bulldogs with 63 kills at state, an average of 10.5 per match.

The 6-foot Bond supported Nieman with 48 kills at state, an average of eight per match. Bond, whose all-around play was markedly improved over the year before, was equally effective behind the service line.

There wasn’t anything that the 5-3 Owen couldn’t do - and, yes, that includes hitting at the net. In fact, she led LC in just about every statistic. Timberwolves coach Kent Scanlon, who has coached seven NCAA All-Americans, said Owen can play at the highest level as a backrow specialist.

Gomez will most likely be dribbling a basketball in college, but her athleticism was a reason why Lewiston finished second in the Inland Empire League.

The 6-1 Sperry led defending State A-3 Wallace back to state, though the Miners were eliminated in two matches. Sperry, who averaged nearly 20 kills per match, is being recruited by the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Illinois State.

Aaron was considered by many to be the most valuable player in the Intermountain League, and the 5-9 standout with a powerful swing will be a great addition to whatever college offers a scholarship.

This is the first year St. Maries hasn’t landed a hitter on the first team - which explains why the coaches considered Epler a valuable player.

Epler’s defensive skills were instrumental in leading coach Mitch Santos’ youngest St. Maries team to a state runner-up finish.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: All-North Idaho Volleyball Team Name School Pos Yr Alli Nieman Sandpoint middle hitter Sr. Stacey Moline Sandpoint setter Sr. Tiwi Bond Sandpoint middle hitter Sr. Joy Sperry Wallace middle hitter Sr. Jenny Owen Lake City outside hitter Sr. Eanna Aaron Bonners Ferry outside hitter Sr. Andrea Gomez Lewiston outside hitter Sr. Angie Epler St. Maries backrow spec. Sr.

Coach of the year: Jeff Hurst, Sandpoint

Second team: Hailey Scofield, Clark Fork; Kimi Towery, Coeur d’Alene; Angie Shirley, CdA; Amanda Tams, St. Maries; Cora Christensen, Lakeland; Laura Bloom, Lewiston