ANNIE FOWLER, The CUJ
ATHENA — In a battle of the Blue Mountain Conference heavyweights, Heppner got 22 kills and 22 digs from sophomore Isa Payne to escape with a 23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 18-25, 15-6 win Thursday, Sept. 18, over Weston-McEwen.
“It wasn’t perfect and we had our struggles, but finding a way to come out with a big win shows the toughness and grit of this team,” Heppner coach Mindy Wilson said. “They kept battling and earned it.”
Trailing two sets to one, Weston-McEwen won the fourth set to extend the match.
“The girls played great volleyball tonight,” W-M coach Marie Cain said. “It was a fun match and we had excellent composure and consistency throughout. In the fifth set, we just had too many errors on our side of the net.”
Maya Payne handed out 37 assists for the Mustangs (13-5 overall, 2-0 BMC), while Catherine Lindsay had 13 kills, Avree Lathrop five kills and 14 digs, Healy Hisler 13 digs, and Cici Stefani 11 digs, and Olivia Ogden eight digs.
For the TigerScots (3-5, 1-1), junior Charlotte Hansell pounded down 25 kills and had 33 digs, while Addy Hall had 32 digs, Bree Perkins 43 digs, and Mya Bryan 20 assists and 12 digs.
“Mya grounded our offense,” Cain said. “Her hustle was impressive tonight and a huge foundation to our game. Charlotte was a force to be reckoned with. She was ready to play tonight and it showed. I’m very proud of them and their level of play tonight.
