CHEHALIS — The Black Hills volleyball team’s strong run through the 2A Evergreen Conference continued Thursday night, as the Wolves swept W.F. West on the road, 25-20, 25-15, 25-17 to stay perfect in league.
For the Wolves, getting the win meant adjusting to a frenetic and scrappy Bearcats squad that wouldn’t give any point up easily.
“W.F. West has definitely improved since the last time we played them,” Wolves coach Paige Walker said. “They came out aggressive, hard hitting, and ready to battle. It took us some time to get our wheels turning. I’m really proud of how my players responded and battled through a lot of hectic and frenzied rallies.”
The Wolves were led by the solid and steady play of setter Alex Loveless, who got them back in system when things got out of control and made sure to put balls where they needed to be to set up kills.
Senior Olivia Hisaw was the biggest beneficiary, recording nine kills, while Payton Childers served up four aces and Lily Bauer dug up nine balls.
“I love that kid,” Walker said of Loveless. “She makes my life so easy, so easy to coach. Being a setter is a thankless job and you are almost never the star of the show, but she’s a straight up workhorse … just an excellent example of what it means to be a team first kind of player.”
For the Bearcats, who frustrated the Wolves early, strong play at the net and unrelenting scrappiness kept them in most games.
“I told the girls this is the scrappiest Bearcats team I’ve seen in years,” W.F. West coach Robert Lucas said. “They just didn’t give up. It was great.”
In a plus night of serving for the Bearcats, Savannah Hawkins was 15 for 16 serving with two aces, Morgan Rogerson was 8 for 8 and Kambriah Simper was 6 for 6.
Also having a big night was middle Anna White, who tallied a match-high 10 blocks. Ava Olsen led the Bearcat attack with eight kills, while Maggie Busse added seven kills and Amelia Etue had five.
“Many times, we were putting Black Hills out of their system,” Lucas said. “Which was amazing to watch. Not once did our team look flustered. We’re pretty happy with what we’ve accomplished so far, but we definitely have a long way to go.”
W.F. West (4-6, 3-4 league) hosts Aberdeen on Tuesday. Black Hills (9-1, 7-0 league) hosts Rochester in a doubleheader on Tuesday.
