With a balanced offense and some mental fortitude, the Hoquiam Grizzlies’ perfect record remains in tact.
The Grizzlies got an all-around effort in grounding the Elma Eagles 25-16, 25-10 and 25-19 on Tuesday at Hoquiam Square Garden.
Hoquiam (5-0 overall, 1-0 1A Evergreen) played consistently in winning the first set before finding itself down 6-5 early in the second game.
Grizzlies senior middle blocker Chloe Kennedy stepped to the service line and — with the help of teammate Kristina Goulet — set Hoquiam on a point streak to put the game out of the Eagles’ reach.
With Kennedy serving, Hoquiam converted 14 straight points, with Goulet leading the way with five kills and two blocks for points during the stretch.
Hoquiam head coach Heather Bozich said the point streak showed how hard the Grizzlies have worked at becoming a more well-rounded offense, as typically the version of Hoquiam that strikes the most fear into its opponents is one with Kennedy playing in the middle of the net.
“The thing about Chloe is that she can pass too. She took a lot of those first balls in a lot of those rallies and that let us stay in system,” Bozich said. “What we really work on is getting an attack out of any situation. We work on that a lot. … We’ve been working on being able to put the ball on the floor in any situation.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam senior middle blocker Chloe Kennedy had five aces during a straight-set victory on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 in Hoquiam.
Goulet said the secret to the lengthy point streak was due to the great passing of Kennedy and others as well as the overall team energy.
“I loved how our back row played, they passed so well,” she said. “The energy was so exciting and every point was celebrated, which made the energy great.”
After the second-set loss, Elma (3-4, 0-1) responded with a much scrappier effort in the third game.
Tied at 5-5, the two teams were never separated by more than two points as the game featured several ties and lead changes.
“I think they came out with a lot more energy than they did in the second set,” said Elma head coach Kendra Dunn of her team’s play in the Game 3, citing the defense of Taylor Staples and Allyson Warren as key to the Eagles inspired play. “That’s a big thing for us, is to be able to come out with energy and play tough. … It was really about energy and talking.”
At 17-all, a quick push shot by senior setter Ella Folkers gave Hoquiam a lead it would never relinquish as the Grizzlies would outscore the Eagles 7-2 down the stretch, ending the match on a putback kill from Goulet.
“(Elma) had some pretty tricky shots from cross-court, but once we got on our toes and got our head in the game, we made sure to get the win,” Goulet said of the third set. “We had to focus on moving our feet and make sure we knew where our passes were going.”
“One thing we’ve really been stressing is not freaking out when a game is close,” Bozich said. “Elma was scrappy and was able to stay in their system more and put the ball on the floor. There were some points we just weren’t ready for. We weren’t in our defensive positions and they played really well. … But I told them in the locker room that I was so proud that instead of getting nervous and scared, they played their game. They played tough and started playing good, in-system volleyball.”
Several Hoquiam players filled up the stat sheet on Tuesday, led by Kennedy (8 kills, 5 aces, 6 digs, 2 blocks) and Folkers (24 assists, 3 aces, 8 digs, 2 kills).
Ashlinn Cady led Hoquiam with nine kills to go along with five digs while Faith Prosch (6 kills, 7 digs, 4 aces), Goulet (6 kills, 3 blocks) and Graci Bonney-Spradlin (10 digs) also made large contributions to the Hoquiam victory.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma’s Aubrey Moore had four kills and 10 assists in a loss to Hoquiam on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 in Hoquiam.
Elma was led by Aubrey Moore, who had four kills and 10 assists in the game.
Elma hosts Tenino at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Hoquiam will compete in a tournament on Saturday at Raymond High School.
Elma 16 10 19 — 0
Hoquiam 25 25 25 — 3
Tumwater 3, Aberdeen 0
Aberdeen started hot but cooled off in a straight-set loss to Tumwater on Tuesday in Aberdeen.
Led by nine digs from Emmersyn Yakovich and five digs from Zoe Vessey, Aberdeen got out to a strong opening in the first set before being edged by Tumwater 25-21.
“We came out strong in Game 1,” Bobcats head coach Desiree Glanz said. “We played smart with great energy.”
In Game 2, a slow start led to a 25-8 Bobcats loss and carried into a 25-9 Game 3 loss.
Aberdeen was led by Camryn Micheau (11 assists), Emmersyn Yakovich (9 digs, 2 kills), Kailey Pendergrass (4 kills) and Lilly Camp (4 kills, 2 blocks).
Aberdeen (0-4, 0-2 2A Evergreen) will face Shelton at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Shelton.
Tumwater 25 25 25 — 3
Aberdeen 21 8 9 — 0
South Bend 3, Chief Leschi 0
South Bend defeated Chief Leschi in straight sets on Tuesday at Chief Leschi High School.
South Bend (2-3, 2-2 2B Pacific) started strong in cruising to 25-10 and 25-12 victories in Game 1 and 2, respectively.
But Chief Leschi (1-4, 0-4) battled back in Game 3 before South Bend held on for a 26-24 victory.
“We started the match with intensity, but struggled in set three,” South Bend head coach Kelsey Staats said. “I’m proud of the girls for fighting back. We have been focusing on that lately.”
South Bend seniors Raydynn Morley and Makayalee Kuiken went a combined 32-for-32 from the service line with 12 aces in the match.
Mackenzie Kuiken had eight digs while Emily Howell had six kills for South Bend.
South Bend’s JV team won 3-0 on Tuesday.
South Bend plays North Beach at 7 p.m. Thursday in Westport.
South Bend 25 25 26 — 3
Chief Leschi 10 12 24 — 0
Ocosta 3, Ilwaco 0
Ocosta dominated from start to finish in a straight-set victory over Ilwaco on Tuesday in Westport.
Ocosta (4-3, 4-1 2B Pacific) won 25-10, 25-7 and 25-18.
The Wildcats were led by Alexia Bradley (14 kills), Brynn Rasmus (25 assists) and libero Noel Cuzdey (6 aces).
“We played calm, cool and collected tonight,” Ocosta head coach Erin Snider said. “Our passing was consistent and Brynn’s sets were on point all night.”
Ocosta takes on Forks at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday in Forks.
Ilwaco 10 7 18 — 0
Ocosta 25 25 25 — 3
Other scores
Montesano 3, Tenino 0
