It was close early, but an emphatic Tiger victory in the second set helped the Centralia volleyball team sweep Rochester on Thursday, 25-23, 25-9, 25-17.
Centralia coach Marti Smith said that the Tigers (3-1, 1-1 2A EvCo) didn’t come out with a high energy level, but it was re-emphasized before the second set.
“It kind of went over their heads,” Smith said. “We mentioned it again, the importance … and they answered. We were making some really good hustle plays. It was a fun match to watch.”
After falling behind, the Warriors (0-4, 0-2 2A EvCo) continued to dig themselves into a deeper hole, committing 11 service errors and 10 hitting errors to give the Tigers free points.
“In close games, we just can’t have those,” Rochester coach Bridget Morris said. “We just couldn’t take care of the ball and put it away when we needed to.”
McKenna Smith had an excellent all-around day for the Tigers, going a perfect 20 for 20 serving while also adding 13 digs, 10 assists and four kills. Selah Calkins was also perfect serving, and she recorded seven digs and eight assists.
Lauren Wasson added nine kills and seven digs, and Gracie Schofield added 17 digs. Makayla Chavez had five kills and three blocks, and Payton Baumel added two blocks.
For Rochester, Cheyenne Justice led the defense with seven digs, while Delany Winter tallied six kills, two assists and a block. Lexi DuPont recorded three blocks, three kills and an ace, and Madison Angwood also tallied three digs.
Rochester is still looking for its first win, and the Warriors’ next chance will come Monday when they host Tenino at 7 p.m. The Tigers will host Shelton on Tuesday, also at 7 p.m.
