Tuesday evening may have started a bit slower for the Centralia volleyball team, but the Tigers got up to speed for their fourth sweep of the season, taking out Shelton 25-19, 25-15, 25-12 in a 2A EvCo match.
The Tigers (4-1, 2-1 2A EvCo) went as their serving went Tuesday, starting roughly but getting better as the match wore on. After gritting out the first set a bit and finding the second close to start, McKenna Smith and Lauren Wasson took over at the service line, combining for 16 straight good serves and four aces to help Centralia pull away.
Then in the third, Makalya Chavez took control with a nine-point run, including six of her team-high seven aces to put things well and truly out of reach.
“That was huge, to have that out of those three,” Centralia coach Marti Smith said.
As a team, the Tigers finished with 18 aces.
Wasson added eight kills and 11 digs, while Chavez had five kills, and Hollynn Wakefield posted four in a more even outing for the Centralia offense.
“The setters did a nice job distributing the ball to different hitters, and we didn’t have to rely on just one or two for our offense,” Marti Smith said. “It was great that we could mix it up and let others contribute.”
McKenna Smith dished out 18 assists, and also played a big role in a defensive effort that her coach said left everything out on the floor.
“Our girls were starting to throw their bodies around the court,” Marti Smith said. “We had some really nice defensive efforts chasing balls down.”
Libero Gracie Schofield led the Tigers with 13 digs.
Next up, is set to stay home for its first Swamp Cup match of the season, hosting W.F. West on Thursday.
