Mt. Spokane edges Shadle Park in GSL volleyball
Perhaps if Ashlee Hodl had a little less fight in her, the headline above would be different.
And if the Mt. Spokane Wildcats had a lot less fight in them, the Shadle Park Highlanders would have celebrated a little differently on Thursday night.
Hodl’s 22 digs and two aces were a huge part of the Wildcats’ 25-18, 16-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-11 Greater Spokane League win over the visiting Highlanders.
“Ashlee was just was all over the place – digging everything everywhere and she had an amazing match,” Mt. Spokane coach Dave Whitehead said.
It was the defensive prowess of Hodl – a 5-foot-2 senior at Mt. Spokane – that led the way for setter Paiton Larson to come up with 52 assists, of which Kennadie Clute killed 29 in the five-set match.
Whitehead played 13 of 15 players on his roster.
“Our serve-receive was something I thought went really well,” Whitehead added. “We have been working on it a lot and we stepped up. Everybody did.”
The Highlanders also got contributions from everyone – held together by Amanda Konynenbelt’s 17 assists and Darby Santos’ 20 digs and 21 kills.
After dropping the first set, which they trailed 15-2 before cleaning up on offense, Shadle challenged the rest of the way, winning the next two games to put pressure on Mt. Spokane.
“Our energy came up in that fourth game,” Hodl said. “This was a huge game for us. This whole week, we’ve been so focused on this and to come out and get the win – and having to come back and really fight to get it – it’s a great feeling.”
Shadle Park coach Brooke Cooper, despite leaving with the loss, was also pleased.
“Our block and defense was better, we mixed up shots better and our fight was there,” Cooper said. “We’ve kind of been hiding under the radar.
“Our teams are kind of known for peaking at the end so I’m excited to see what happens down the road.”
Elsewhere in the GSL, Sydney Schlect led all players with 14 kills and the University Titans beat host Rogers 25-19, 22-25, 25-11, 25-19. Sydney Roberts collected 25 assists for the Pirates, who were also led by Sam Thompson’s 12 kills. … Carmen Richardson finished with 11 kills and five aces to lead the Ferris Saxons past host North Central 25-21, 25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 15-11. Keara Rypien led the Indians with 25 digs and four aces. … Kara Nitteberg’s six aces highlighted the Central Valley Bears’ sweep of host Lewis and Clark. Scores were 25-15, 25-12, 25-20.
• In 5A Inland Empire League action, Post Falls scored an upset over visiting Coeur d’Alene in a fundraiser match that went the distance while raising $4,000 for the Susan G. Komen Hospice. The Trojans – led by 43 assists from Brenna Meehan and 15 kills and three aces from Savannah Hill – beat the Vikings 30-32, 25-20, 25-23, 18-25, 15-6. Coeur d’Alene’s Kayla McGlathery led all players with 25 kills. … Host Lake City swept Lewiston 25-12, 25-20, 26-24. Complete statistics were not reported. … Details and scores from the 4A IEL match between Moscow and host Sandpoint were not reported.
• In the Great Northern League, defending State 1A champion Colville asserted its strength in the Great Northern League (2A) by sweeping perennial power Pullman 25-20, 25-19, 25-2. Five players combined for 41 kills for host Colville, led by Joellee Buckner’s match-high 14. … Ashley Seiler finished with 19 kills and a pair of blocks to lead Cheney to a 22-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-14 win over visiting Clarkston. Cheney’s Kendall Case led all players with 37 assists and two aces. … Katelyn Sage had nine digs and West Valley defeated host Deer Park 25-21, 25-12, 20-25, 25-17. Angie Reardon led Deer Park with 20 digs.