Sandpoint celebrates title

The Sandpoint High volleyball team’s three seniors – Abby Helander, Linnia Hawkins and Adrianna Bucholtz – had their handprints all over the State 4A championship the Bulldogs captured last Saturday.

Hawkins, one of Sandpoint’s two starting setters, put the seniors’ contributions in perspective when she said coach Karen Alsager won’t have any difficulty filling their shoes next year.

“We probably won’t be missed a whole lot,” Hawkins said. “There’s incredible talent coming up behind us. There are players who will step up and fill our roles.”

That doesn’t mean the seniors won’t be missed, though. To Alsager, each brought a special ingredient that made Sandpoint’s charge to its fifth state title this decade possible.

Helander, Sandpoint’s libero and a three-year starter, was the shortest Bulldog at 5 feet. But none stood taller in terms of defensive contributions.

She set the single-season record for digs last year with 726. She led the team again this year, finishing with 587. She finished her career with more than 1,400.

“She’s among the top players I’ve coached in my 17 years coaching,” Alsager said.

Helander was the unanimous selection as the Inland Empire League’s defensive player of the year.

“None of the other coaches nominated a player against her,” Alsager said. “They said, ‘Please graduate her.’ They call her the black hole.”

She wore a black uniform top to identify her as her team’s libero, hence the “black hole” compliment.

“Nothing got past her,” Alsager said.

Helander’s ability to read where a ball was going to be hit speaks to her dead-on instincts.

She also ranked second in serving with 52 aces.

She stepped on the court when Bucholtz, a middle hitter, finished her rotation in the front row.

Of the three, the 5-10 Bucholtz will likely be the only one to go on and play in college. A two-year letterman and first-year starter, she signed a letter of intent in late August to play at Oregon Tech in Klamath Falls.

Bucholtz found out about Oregon Tech, an NAIA school, through an Internet search. She called the head coach and was asked to visit. The coach was familiar with Sandpoint’s successful program.

During a visit in early August, Bucholtz practiced with the team. She was offered a scholarship and gave an oral commitment. She signed two weeks later.

“Adrianna’s not a classic middle blocker,” Alsager said. “She’s only 5-10 and not an incredible jumper. But she works like a work horse. Her hitting style is a little unconventional. She’s going to play right side at Oregon Tech, but we needed her as a middle.”

Although Sandpoint is blessed with talent, Bucholtz said it took more than ability for the Bulldogs to capture state.

“We had a scrappiness,” Bucholtz said. “We worked so hard and moved well together as a team. We had good chemistry.”

Alsager thought Hawkins was going to have to sit out the first month of the season. She shattered a joint between two fingers on her right hand during a preseason practice two weeks before the season began.

A cast was placed on her hand and the doctor told Hawkins she would be out four to six weeks.

Hawkins didn’t accept the news from the doctor.

“I wore the cast for two weeks and my hand slipped right out of the bottom of it,” Hawkins said.

More like Hawkins pulled her hand out of the cast, truth be known. She didn’t go see her doctor.

“She made the decision to take the cast off and play injured,” Alsager said. “Her parents agreed to let her do it. It’s such a statement about her toughness.”

Hawkins had the hand taped for each practice and match the first month.

“I just took a bunch of Ibuprofen and called it good,” Hawkins said.

She finally stopped having the hand taped.

“It was affecting the accuracy of my setting,” she said. “I decided it was more important to be accurate and win games.”

She dealt with the pain the day after matches.

“It was worth it,” Hawkins said. “I’m not sure it’s healed. It still clicks when I close my fist.”

Sandpoint finished the season 29-2. The Bulldogs lost an early match to Coeur d’Alene, and the second loss came to Lewis and Clark at the Crossover Classic.

The Bulldogs avenged a loss to Bonneville in last year’s state title match by beating Bonneville twice last Saturday, including in the final.

Alsager was asked by a reporter following the match who made the difference for the Bulldogs this year.

“I said ‘How can you ask me that?’ ” Alsager said. “This is a team. If we weren’t a team we wouldn’t have had this outcome. The girls were just smooth. Not one of my girls choked or played poorly.”

The seniors will tell anyone who will listen, though, what the strength of the team was, and it is in a skilled junior core led by outside hitter Piper Wahlin, setter/rightside hitter Koko James and middle hitter Kaiti Lunde.

“The junior class is capable of anything,” Hawkins said. “They have incredible chemistry and athletes. They’re all capable of going on to (NCAA) Division I schools.”

Sandpoint captured a state title two years ago. So when the Bulldogs fell short last year, there was much disappointment.

“To end like we did, we couldn’t go out any better,” Helander said.