The Grays Harbor College Chokers picked up their level of play in the second half of Wednesday’s volleyball match, but fell short in their four-set loss to the Pierce College Raiders.
The division-leading Raiders (8-1, 28-10) won the match, 25-20, 31-29, 19-25, 27-25 on the strength of some solid net play and some strong hitting from their outside hitters Wedenesday night at Sam Benn Gym.
Grays Harbor head coach Christine Nelson said she liked the way her team scrambled on defense despite the disappointing outcome.
“We weren’t always in out system but they always play with that kind of energy,” she said. “They’re like that in practice. They’re always going after every ball.”
Roina Maafala was a big part of the defensive effort with 20 digs. Jayde Jenkins and Teila Kapihe were also a key part of the defense with 19 digs each.
The first set was the most one-sided for the Raiders but it was not a blowout. The two teams traded points for most of the opening frame and had the set tied at 10 until a 5-0 run forced Grays Harbor to call a timeout.
The Chokers (6-4, 16-28) played even with the Raiders but could not close the gap in that set.
Grays Harbor stepped it up in the second set and even appeared to frustrate the number one team in the region. The Chokers built some confidence at grabbed a 19-16 lead at one point before the Riders regrouped after a timeout and closed the gap.
The teams went back to trading points but some hitting errors and some errors in communication helped give the Raiders the edge in a hard- fought second set.
When the two teams emerged from the locker room for the third set it looked like the tide was turning in Grays Harbor’s favor.
The Chokers went on a 5-0 run of their own and kept the Raiders front row off-balance with a mix of finesse and power shots that they had difficulty defending.
Net play was a big part of their success in that set with Diamond Jackson and Brooke Spoor coming away with key blocks. They each had three blocks total in the match. Spoor’s offense was also on point in the match as she came away with 22 kills.
The Chokers appeared to have a strangl hold on the fourth set as well and were up 23-20 before the Raider defense tightened up and eventually overtook the Chokers to close out the game and the match.
The loss is a tough one to swallow considering the tightness of the NWAC standings. The schedule does not get any easier for the Chokers.
Grays Harbor will be taking on Lower Columbia College in a road game on Friday. LCC is second in the region but Nelson said her team may be able to steal one on the road.
“We went five with LCC the first time and didn’t play this well,” she said. “We just have to continue to play with this amount of energy and this fire and I think we’ll be fine.”
“We’re right in the hunt for playoffs,” Nelson added. “There’s five teams within two games of each other so this puts us two games out of second. Our destiny is in own hands. I was hoping to get this one but by no means is this the end of our season.”
