Maddie Vondrak tied for team honors Thursday, ripping off six kills against La Conner. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Not even a brush with Covid can slow down La Conner High School volleyball.
The two-time defending 2B state champs, back from a midseason 10-day shutdown of the program, haven’t missed a beat when they’re allowed to play.
Case in point, Thursday night, as the Braves swept varsity and JV matches from visiting Coupeville, while remaining the only Northwest 2B/1B League school to knock off the feisty Wolf spikers this season.
With the losses, both CHS squads drop to 4-2, with four matches left on their pandemic-shortened 10-match campaigns.
La Conner’s squads are each 6-0, with their varsity having won all 18 sets played. The Braves JV is an almost-perfect 17-1 in sets.
Coupeville gets right back at it Saturday, hosting Concrete on Senior Night, and the Wolves will get a third crack at the league’s premier program May 7.
With Darrington having shut down its program because of Covid concerns, the Wolves replaced their second match with the Loggers with a third tangle with the school which dominates NWL volleyball action.
It’s the old adage of “you have to beat the best to be the best,” so buckle up your chin strap (metaphorically, at least) and go in swinging from your toes.
How Thursday played out:
Varsity:
Coupeville made the powerhouse Braves work for points, but ultimately fell 25-12, 25-14, 25-15.
La Conner was led by Ellie Marble, who sprayed 20 kills to go with 11 digs and two service aces, and Emma Keller, who doled out 28 assists
The Wolves countered with six kills apiece from Maddie Vondrak, Jill Prince, and Chelsea Prescott, with the latter of that trio also going low for five digs.
Kylie Chernikoff came up big with five kills and six digs, while Maddie Georges (23 assists, four digs), Alita Blouin (10 digs), Jaimee Masters (five digs), Lucy Tenore (one kill, one dig), and Abby Mulholland (a dig) all chipped in to the team effort.
“We improved since our last outing against them,” said CHS coach Cory Whitmore. “We passed better, limiting reception errors and taking more swings at them.
“Our middle blockers had strong hitting percentages each – Maddie Vondrak hitting .417 and Jill Prince hitting .385.”
With four matches left to play, including a third rumble with La Conner, Whitmore continues to preach improvement and hard work.
“Attempting to slow their offense down will always be a tough task, but we have to come up with ways to counter with our own,” he said. “I thought the girls fought with a lot more heart this time.
“We are looking forward to finishing up our last week of the season strong.”
JV:
Coupeville was swept in three, but the young spikers came close to upending La Conner in the final set before being nipped 26-24.
That late surge was a definite positive for Wolf coach Ashley Menges.
“First two sets we were sitting and watching a lot. We just didn’t look ready for it,” she said.
“La Conner’s a good team, but I’ve seen the level we play at time and time again this season, we just didn’t play there when it counted.
“The girls had a much better third set, but we still have much to work on before we meet them again.”
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