By ANNIE FOWLER, The CUJ
MISSION — Annalise Watchman had 10 digs, three kills and three aces for Nixyaawii, but the Golden Eagles fell short 25-23, 25-23, 25-15 in a nonleague match Thursday, Sept. 5, against Bickleton.
“We’re a scrappy team that will fight until the end, and that really showed in the first two sets,” Nixyaawii coach Rayne Spencer said. “As a team, we will continue to build our court awareness, team chemistry and confidence as the season goes on.”
Brianah Matamoros added five aces and three digs for the Golden Eagles (0-1), while Liana Stewart had three aces, five digs and one kill, Neveah Moore five digs and one kill, Addison Jones four aces, and Sahundein Salt six digs.
“Bickleton found some of our holes and kept us on our toes,” Spencer said. “We will get to practice and come prepared for the next match. I believe in the girls’ potential and work ethic. So much room to grow and a lot of season left.”
The Golden Eagles will play Tuesday at Griswold to open Old Oregon League play.
PENDLETON 3, REDMOND 0 — Avery Brown had 11 kills, and Josie Jenness handed out 30 assists to lead the Bucks to a 25-15, 25-20, 25-20 road win over the 5A Panthers.
“It was a great team effort,” Pendleton coach Jodi Primus said. “The girls looked great. They worked hard and didn’t let up on their effort or energy level. I’m so proud of them. Their character and determination to overcome adversity really showed tonight.”
Sophie Nelson had six kills on 11 attempts for a kill percentage of .500 for the Bucks (2-1), while Jenness added five kills, eight digs and three aces, and Finley Evans had 26 digs. Adrianne Demianew led the team in serve receive.
Pendleton will play at the Cascade Tournament on Saturday.
HEPPNER 3, PILOT ROCK 0 — The Rockets ran into a good Heppner team on the road, dropping a 25-10, 25-11, 25-5 nonleague match to the Mustangs.
“The scores don’t reflect how well played,” Pilot Rock coach Jen Porter said. “We had a lot of long rallies and great plays, but in the end, most of them went in Heppner’s favor. The girls stayed positive and kept working hard the whole match. Heppner is a solid team offensively and defensively.”
Coley Gibbs led the Rockets (0-6) with 10 digs and one kill, while Kessa Litfin had nine digs, two aces and two assists and one block. Gracee Hemphill and Aubrey Corwin each added a kill.
For the Mustangs (3-1), Hallee Hisler had nine kills and 10 digs, while Ava Gerry added nine kills and five aces, Maya Payne 17 assists and seven digs, and Isa Payne six kills and six aces.
SOUTH WASCO COUNTY 3, WESTON MCEWEN 2 — After a shaky first set, the TigerScots gave the Redsides all they could handle before falling 25-14, 20-25, 25-23, 23-25, 20-18 in a nonleague match in Maupin.
“Tough loss for us tonight,” W-M coach Marie Cain said. “We dug ourselves a hole with unforced errors and couldn’t quite get out of it to grab the win. We were close, fighting hard in the fifth set.”
Delaynee Angell led the TigerScots (3-3) with 15 kills and five aces, while Charlotte Hansell added 10 kills, Bri Ward and Addy Hall each had five kills, Kylie Kramer had four aces and nine digs, and Mya Bryan had six aces.
“Tonight is a learning night, and working on what we can control,” Cain said. “We will get better from it.”
