Wildcats take the fifth against Shadle

Given the strength of Mt. Spokane’s schedule during the stretch run of Greater Spokane League volleyball, Tuesday’s five-game victory over Shadle Park was a defining moment of its season.

The host Wildcats entered the match 7-2 and in fourth place, but faced the Highlanders, who were only a match behind.

On the horizon for Mt. Spokane were matches against Lewis and Clark and Mead, which are tied for second place, and fifth-place Gonzaga Prep.

Matters didn’t look good following Mt. Spokane’s 25-15 first-game loss to the Highlanders. But the Wildcats rallied for 25-22 and 25-20 wins. Then, following a fourth-game meltdown, the Wildcats pulled off the essential fifth game 15-11, behind power-hitting Katrina Johnson, one of four seniors on the new-look team.

“When we looked at it, we said this season really starts tonight and we could be odd-man out if we didn’t win one of the four matches,” said Wildcats coach John Reid. “So this was sweet.”

It was, Reid noted, the first five-game match Mt. Spokane has been involved in this season. It was a wild one, as volleyball can be, with its tendency for remarkable momentum swings.

“When you’re in a game like this (with rally scoring), you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Reid said. “Plus, we’d never been in five games all year and I didn’t know how we’d react. So that part was kind of fun.”

Fun, that is, if you like coaching from the edge of your seat.

Shadle, behind Sara Lewis and Catie Schuetzle, jumped to a 10-4 lead and improved to 20-9 in cruising to the first-game win. It appeared this might be a potentially easy night for the visiting team.

Then the Wildcats took control of the net in the next two games, keeping the Highlanders off balance. They broke a 20-all tie in the taut second game, led by middle blocker Emily Wittkopf. She had two late kills among four in the game, but it was also her blocking up front and altering of Highlanders shots that proved huge.

Lauren Schneidmiller added some timely hits.

Trailing 14-10 in the middle game, Mt. Spokane went on a 9-1 run behind jump-serving Kelsey VanDoren, who had two aces, and power hitting by Johnson.

That carried over into a 10-5 lead in the fourth game, but the Wildcats just as suddenly fell apart with four consecutive hitting errors. Shadle ran off nine consecutive points and went on to win the game 25-19, sending Mt. Spokane to this year’s uncharted fifth-game territory.

That’s when Johnson took charge. She had four kills as Mt. Spokane broke an 8-all tie.

“It was only the fifth game,” said Johnson of her team-leading effort, although the game-high 17 kills she put down belied her modesty. “Our setters did a really good job of getting the ball outside. They moved it around a lot and got (Shadle’s) defense out of position.”

Johnson said there was some concern about what might transpire after the first game, although her confidence never wavered. Johnson added that the team was tense in the beginning of game five, but that overall she thought that it was a help to them, realizing the pressure was on.

“Coaches told us this is where we really needed to start playing our game,” she said. “I’m glad we started it off like this.”

Mt. Spokane (8-2) trails University (10-0) by two matches, and Mead and LC (both 9-1) by one. The Wildcats are two matches ahead of Shadle and Ferris (both 6-4), which, with Gonzaga Prep (7-3), are the four teams vying for the final three District 8 4A playoff berths.

Elsewhere, every GSL winner won in three consecutive games. … Central Valley (4-6) beat West Valley 25-20, 27-25, 25-17 at home with good team serving and the digging of Kaley Schafer. Mel Dossey led WV (2-8) in kills, service aces and blocks. … Mead won at Cheney 25-9, 25-8, 25-19, Nicole Solum sharing team high in kills with Rachael Schurman, and also leading in digs and blocks. Breanna Falor led Cheney (1-9) in three of her team’s five statistical categories. … G-Prep swept East Valley 25-12, 25-22, 25-16 on the road, Kelly Mastor’s 10 kills and three blocks offsetting the 14 kills and three aces of Angie Smith of the Knights (2-8).

•Ferris beat Rogers 25-15, 25-11, 25-4 at home, Miranda Gouin with 18 assists and six aces and Kasey Blevins with 12 digs. Cari Landkammer led the Pirates (1-9) in aces and digs. … LC outlasted host North Central 25-21, 25-19, 25-11. Ivy Bush had 11 kills, four blocks and 15 digs for LC. Allison Moran of LC and Shantel Haugen of the Indians (4-6) each had 22 assists. … U-Hi swept Clarkston 25-10, 25-12, 25-8 in a home match. Mandy Daniels had 16 kills, five blocks and 15 digs for U-Hi, and Kara Crisp added 26 assists and two aces. Clarkston is 1-9.