Eanna Aaron Bonners Ferry Year: Senior Sport: Volleyball Position: Outside Hitter

A match’s work might include five kills by power hitter Eanna Aaron against St. Maries in an average Intermountain League outing.

But the Bonners Ferry senior pounded 15 kills in last week’s impressive 8-15, 15-12, 17-15 victory over the Lumberjacks. The Badgers’ win halted St. Maries’ 119-match IML win streak, started in 1983.

St. Maries served three times for match point. But Aaron rallied the Badgers on match-point with an outstanding dig. Scrambling out of bounds to retrieve a pass, Aaron fell horizontally backward and saved the ball, which the Lumberjacks miss-hit.

“It was like the intensity that we had was so phenomenal; you can’t even realize,” Aaron said. “It was like you were watching (the Lumberjacks) play, and realized this isn’t the team they’ve had.”

One of the Badgers’ pre-match goals was 15 kills by the entire team.

“We played like we should be playing, and Eanna had an exceptional night,” Bonners Ferry coach Janis Tucker said. “She probably missed two serves in the match. She just did everything well. It wasn’t like it was just her front row - her passing, her serving, her just staying in the game.”

That Badgers’ victory couldn’t come at a better time, as teams are less than one week away from the postseason.

Just two weeks ago, the 5-foot-8 Aaron was setting, a position she hadn’t played since a freshman. “I didn’t have her to pass in the back row,” Tucker said. “I didn’t have her to hit. She digs well. She’s a good back-row player. Now, she’s been able to be a threat all the way around.”

Aaron is one of only two returners off the 1994 fourthplace state A-2 Badgers team. The 3.5 student has also played the sport year-round the past two seasons for the Inland Empire club team. She has several East Coast college volleyball offers.

“Anyone could take the (district tournament) right now,” Aaron observes. “We could actually win if we play at our level. We have all the physical potential.”

Mentally, Bonners Ferry (4-5 in league, 8-12 overall) shows its inexperience with inconsistent play. “Sometimes, its just better for me to laugh,” Aaron added. “Club (volleyball) is almost like the college level. Here, it’s hard to push myself. I try to think of things to improve on in the games, always.”

Tucker encourages team meetings. “They’re more of a teenage bonding thing,” Aaron said. “Sometimes, they’re not even about volleyball, but getting to know each other.”

And maybe help one another put their game face on, which includes lipstick and Badger stickers for good luck.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo