PREP VOLLEYBALL
Ocosta 3, Raymond 2
An intense, back-and-forth matchup concluded with Ocosta pulling out the victory with a strong final set in the Wildcats’ 3-2 victory over Raymond on Tuesday in Ocosta.
Ocosta (7-3, 5-1 Pacific 2B) won 25-20, 25-15, 23-25, 21-25 and 15-9 in a match where Raymond (6-5, 4-2) nearly completed the comeback.
The win had major postseason implications, with the Wildcats taking sole possession of second place with a one-game lead on third-place Ilwaco.
The loss moved Raymond down to fourth place in the standings, with the Seagulls trailing Ilwaco by a game in the loss column.
The top eight teams from the league will qualify for districts, but both Raymond and Ocosta will have a chance to climb the standings with the three remaining games on its schedules.
Ocosta’s Smily Snider gets a dig in the third set against Raymond on Tuesday in Ocosta. Snider had 33 assists in Ocosta’s 3-2 win over the Seagulls. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Raymond got off to a hot start in the first set and found itself up 9-5 before Ocosta heated up and eventually tied the opening frame at 10 apiece.
Ocosta assistant coach Erin Snider said her team turned things around once the ball movement improved.
“Once our passing started to get under control, the whole game got better. Without passing you don’t have anything else,” she said. “Raymond served well and once we got the serve receive under control, then we were able to convert, get some kills and get our offense going.”
Despite some issues in the passing game, Ocosta’s Emily Snider was still solid from the setter position with 33 assists.
Ocosta’s improved offense carried the team to victories in the first and second set, but Raymond wouldn’t go down quietly.
The Seagulls picked up wins in the third and fourth sets and Raymond head coach Bob Swogger said the set wins coincided with improved defense.
“I think we started picking up our defense a lot more, especially in the sets that we won. In our last set, our serve receive kind of went flat, but I think we started scrambling more in the third and fourth sets.”
Raymond also benefited from solid offense from outside hitters Sidney Swogger and Tina Sypaphay, each of whom picked up their play in the middle of the match. Each had nine kills by the end of the night.
Raymond’s Sidney Swogger picks up a kill in the second set of a match against Ocosta on Tuesday in Ocosta. Swogger had nine kills in Ocosta’s 3-2 win over Raymond. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
The increased defensive intensity from Raymond went along with offensive mishaps from Ocosta. Coach Snider said her team had to take an extra moment to find its focus heading into the final set.
“The girls had to dig deep and really find that will among them. I think they found their focus, made smart offensive plays and kept the ball in play which helped a lot,” she said. “We served better in the fifth set where earlier, we missed serves we typically do not miss.”
The service game helped the Wildcats escape with the victory as Ocosta pulled away to a 7-0 lead thanks in part to three aces.
Emily Snider was solid in that category as well, finishing the contest with 100% serving on 22 attempts.
Coach Swogger said he felt like his young team struggled to take control of the match before it got to a fifth set.
“We’re young, we need to learn how to play in the big moments and we weren’t doing that the first two sets,” he said. “Those first two sets were definitely winnable, but we were matching their mistakes with our mistakes.”
Raymond will try to bounce back from Tuesday’s close loss with a home match against fifth-place North Beach on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Ocosta will also be in action on Thursday with a 6 p.m. road match against winless Life Christian Academy.
Coach Snider said a win against a tough Raymond team will go a long way to giving the Wildcats home court advantage at districts.
“I think Raymond is going to be in the (league’s) top three, so it was a very important win tonight,” she said. “If we win the next three matches we’ll have home court for districts and I think this was a key win in order to possibly get there. It’s always nice to host districts on your home court.”
Ocosta 25 25 23 21 15 – 3
Raymond 20 15 25 25 9 – 2
Top Players: Raymond – Sypaphay (9 kills, 2 aces), Swogger (9 kills, 3 aces); Ocosta – Evalyn Marsh (23 digs), Kiana Morrow (12 kills, 6 blocks), Emily Snider (33 assists, 16 digs, 8 kills)
GIRLS PREP SOCCER
Hoquiam 3, Elma 0
Hoquiam’s Sadie Carlyle scored a hat trick to lead the Grizzlies to a 3-0 victory over Elma on Tuesday at Davis Field in Elma.
Carlyle, a junior forward, opened the scoring when she took a through pass from winger Yazmin Lopez and finished off a left-footed shot from the corner of the 18-yard box just before halftime.
After a strange halftime delay in which a blown circuit-breaker caused half the lights in the stadium to be inoperable for approximately 10-15 minutes, Carlyle and the Grizzlies were at it again.
Hoquiam’s Taylor Strom sent a free kick deep inside the Elma 18-yard box. Carlyle redirected the ball with a flick over Elma goalie Paige Knutson for a 2-0 Grizzlies’ lead in the 57th minute.
In stoppage time, Carlyle intercepted a goal kick and placed a shot into the back of the net for her third goal of the game.
Hoquiam’s Sadie Carlyle, left, battles for possession with Elma’s Jillian Bieker during the Grizzlies’ 3-0 win on Tuesday in Elma. Carlyle scored all three goals in the victory. (Submitted photo)
Elma (4-7-2, 3-4 Evergreen 1A) had its chances in the first half, but were thwarted by Hoquiam keeper Katie Burnett’s solid goalkeeping.
“(Burnett) made some great saves late in the first half,” Hoquiam head coach Drew Grannemann said of his sophomore goalie before turning his attention to his team’s overall play. “We try to emphasize constancy in both level of play and mentality. Tonight, we were able to play at a consistently high level, physically and mentally, for all 80 minutes.”
With the win, Hoquiam (5-7-1, 3-4) moves into a third place against Elma as the Grizzlies hold the tiebreaker over the Eagles with two games left to go in the season.
The Grizzlies host Raymond-South Bend at 7 p.m. on Thursday while the Eagles play at Montesano, also scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday.
With Hoquiam’s goal of reaching the playoffs near, Grannemann acknowledged the need to stay focused.
“We have our goal in sight,” he said. “Now it’s time to keep our nose down and keep working.”
Hoquiam 1 2 — 3
Elma 0 0 — 0
Top Players: Hoquiam — Carlyle (3 G); Lopez (A); Strom (A)
— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group
WF West 2, Aberdeen 1
(WF West 5-4 on penalty kicks)
Eighty minutes and two overtime periods weren’t enough to decide the outcome and for the second-straight game, the Aberdeen Bobcats went to a penalty-kick shootout.
However, unlike Thursday’s victory over Centralia, the Bobcats failed to convert on a final penalty kick and lost 2-1 to WF West on Tuesday in Chehalis, 5-4 on penalty kicks.
In a close, physical match, Aberdeen (7-5, 4-3 Evergreen 2A) drew first blood when Emma Green took a pass from Logan Glanz and chipped in a shot from 17-yards out to give Aberdeen a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute.
The Bearcats (9-3-1, 4-3) responded with a goal in the 65th minute when Aberdeen was unable to clear a ball deep in its own territory.
The game remained tied through regulation and two overtime periods and went to a penalty-kick shootout.
Green, Elizabeth Martinez, Abbie Bradt and Brooklyn Lecomte each made their penalty kicks to make it 4-4 in the shootout. But the final Aberdeen attempt was off the mark and WF West converted its final PK to earn the 5-4 victory.
“It was a great effort by our girls,” Aberdeen head coach Larry Fleming said. “They battled and almost pulled off the road win against a very good opponent.”
Though the loss means Aberdeen and WF West are now tied with identical 4-3 league records, the Bobcats still hold the tiebreaker in goal differential after beating WF West 3-1 earlier in the season.
Aberdeen hosts first-place Tumwater at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Aberdeen 0 1 0 — 1
WF West 0 1 1 — 2
(WF West 5-4 PK)
Top Players: Aberdeen — Green (G, 48th minute); Glanz (A)
— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group
PREP VOLLEYBALL
North Beach 3, South Bend 0
North Beach kept its playoff hopes alive with a 27-25, 25-22 and 25-20 victory over South Bend on Tuesday at South Bend High School.
South Bend was led by outside hitter Raydynn Morley’s 15 digs while fellow outside hitter Brittney Jones had 11 digs to go along with three kills in the loss.
“We didn’t have much team chemistry tonight, and that hurt us,” Indians head coach Kelsey Staats said. “We went on a few good runs, but we made mindless mistakes in crucial moments.”
North Beach (7-5, 3-3 Pacific 2B) is one game behind Raymond for fourth place in the league standings and takes on the Seagulls in a key matchup at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
South Bend (1-10, 1-5) takes on Northwest Christian at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Lacey.
North Beach 27 25 25 — 3
South Bend 25 22 20 — 0
Top Players: South Bend — Morley (15 digs); Jones (3 kills, 11 digs); Reece Williams (3 kills, block); Hannah Jewell (17-17 service)
— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group
