Ready for the long haul

It’s not the start Jen Owen envisioned.

It started like this last year, an opening-match loss by her Lake City High volleyball team to Lewiston.

It happened again last Thursday. Lewiston swept visiting LC in three games.

Still, in her mind’s eye, Owen can see the final product. It should involve a high finish at state.

In a way, though, Owen could see the opening loss at Lewiston coming. After all, one of her top returning players left on a week’s vacation just after preseason practices began. Another returning starter, Kaylen Meredith, missed the opener recovering from a broken pinky.

So the team Owen puts on the floor the first couple of weeks of the season shouldn’t bear any resemblance to the one that should make a run for state in late October.

“Overall, we need to get out there and get dirty and play,” Owen said. “We’re ahead of where we started last year.”

That’s despite the season-opening loss.

LC is picked to win the Inland Empire League championship. But the Timberwolves should be pushed by a handful of teams – a much-improved Sandpoint, cross-town rival Coeur d’Alene and, of course, Lewiston.

Moscow, which zipped through the IEL undefeated on its way to the 4A state title, graduated most of its 29-0 team. Lakeland is young and Post Falls, which moves up to 5A, is inexperienced.

Owen returns Meredith and Riki Moreland, who will anchor the middle, outside hitters Tabi Mabrey and Brenna Lawson and setter Caitlin Crimp. All are seniors.

The big question mark for the Timberwolves is depth, which means all of LC’s hitters will play all the way around.

“I like the camaraderie. We have great relationships with each other,” Owen said. “Our skill level is good. They all played in the off-season. Offensively, we’ll be great if our ball control is just as good.”

Sandpoint fell into the league basement last year. But second-year coach Karen Alsager is optimistic about a big turnaround with a mixture of returning veterans and three freshmen off one of the top age-group teams in the Pacific Northwest.

“I feel like we have more offense than some teams,” Alsager said. “But we won’t be able to overlook anyone.”

Alsager heard more than once about Sandpoint’s storied tradition last year.

“I wasn’t here during the wonderful tradition,” Alsager said. “But I’ve heard enough about it, and it’s time to get back to business. The nice thing is our younger girls know how to win. They had an amazing club season. They’re fairly unflappable.”

It’s been two decades since Lewiston went to state – 1985, the lone time in school history – and Bengals coach Judy Fong said a return is long overdue. When she took over as head coach four years ago, this year’s seniors were the group she thought could turn things around.

“It’s been a team in the works the last couple of years,” Fong said. “We’re guardedly optimistic.”

The 5A and 4A regional winners advance to state, and the 5A regional runner-up can earn a state berth in a play-in match.

•The Intermountain League should feature the tightest race in league history. At least that’s what the coaches are predicting.

IML coaches don’t see a clear-cut favorite. They think any of the five teams could win the league title.

“There’s not much separation, top to bottom,” Kellogg coach Dick Schreiber said. “In fact, I don’t see a bottom at all.”

The IML district champ advances to state. The runner-up can earn a state berth in a play-in match.

•In the North Star League, it should be a Wallace runaway. Defending champ Kootenai graduated most of its team, but the Warriors are given the best shot at earning the league’s second state berth.