HEPPNER — In a match that kept fans on the edge of their seats, second-ranked Heppner won a hard-fought 25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 Blue Mountain Conference match Tuesday night over rival Weston-McEwen.
“Not the outcome we were working toward,” W-M coach Marie Cain said. “We struggled to gain momentum each set and they just pulled all the pieces together better than we did tonight. We take something away from every game we play and improve.”
Senior Charlotte Hansell led the fifth-ranked TigerScots (8-2, 1-1) wth 16 kills, 20 digs and two aces, while Addy Hall had 35 assists and 15 digs, Eloise Hansell six kills and eight digs, Elsie Sprenger seven kills and four digs, Bree Perkins 20 digs, and Megan McLouth 15 digs.
Junior Isa Payne led the Mustangs (12-2 overall, 1-0 BMC) with 22 kills, 33 digs and three blocks. Catherine Lindsay added eight kills and 12 digs; Olivia Ogden, six kills and 11 digs; Addie Coe, five kills and five digs; Cici Stefani, 27 digs; Healy Hisler, 11 digs; and Maya Payne, 39 assists and eight digs.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game,” Heppner coach Mindy Wilson said. “We have been preparing for this match. They executed the work they put in and fought for the win tonight.”
The teams will play again Sept. 29 in Athena.
PENDLETON 3, LA GRANDE 0 — Caitlin Cooley had 26 assists, four blocks, 12 service points and two aces as the Bucks opened Greater Oregon League play with a 25-19, 25-15, 25-17 road win over the Tigers.
“We took them out of their offense with our serving, and we passed really well tonight, allowing us to run our offense,” Pendleton coach Jodi Primus said. “We stayed focused on our purpose and stayed positive together the whole time. It was great to see them work together.”
MJ Gomez added 12 kills and eight digs for the Bucks (6-9 overall), while McKinley Moore had 19 digs, Braelyn Gunter eight kills, 6 service points and four aces, and Kelsi Primus seven kills, 16 service points and three aces.
The Bucks will host Ontario in a GOL match Thursday.
IONE/ARLINGTON 3, NIXYAAWII 0 — Novalee Campbell had six kills and two blocks as the Cardinals picked up a 25-7, 25-17, 25-19 nonleague road win over the Golden Eagles.
“Our girls got better toward the third set,” Nixyaawii coach Nina Watchman said. “Devon (Hall Spencer) had some great serves tonight, and Cryssa (Kirkie) and Annalise (Watchman) had a couple of kills. We’ll be talking more and getting to the ball faster.”
Phegley Padberg handed out 14 assists for the Cardinals (10-5).
The Golden Eagles fell to 1-5.
“Tonight was a great game for us to work on a new rotation and get all of my varsity players a lot of court time,” I/A coach Dawn Eynetich said. “Everyone got to play, some in positions they aren’t as comfortable with. Trying some things out to see what works well together and what doesn’t.”
GRISWOLD 3, PILOT ROCK 1 — The Grizzlies opened Old Oregon League play with a 25-12, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20 road win over the Rockets.
“We had a slow first few points, then got into a rhythm and focused on putting the pressure on,” Griswold coach Kaitlyn Ferguson said. “Kallie Joe Campbell served 12 in a row to get us a good lead. We let Pilot Rock control the tempo of the second set and we couldn’t dig ourselves out of the hole we dug. We turned it around though and took control again to close out the match.”
Grace Hill was 21 of 22 from the service line with eight aces, six kills and 10 digs for the Grizzlies (5-6 overall, 1-0 OOL), while Mazee Terjeson had five kills and a handful of blocks.
“We were down a couple of varsity players today, and while we missed them, I’m proud of how the girls played with the changes they were presented with,” Ferguson said.
Kessa Litfin led the Rockets (3-6, 0-1) with 15 digs, six kills, eight aces and 15 assists, while Gracee Hemphill had five kills and 10 digs, Stevee Osborn four kills, Abbigail Johnson 41 digs and Abigail Bensel four aces.
“We didn’t get the outcome we were looking for tonight, but there was a lot of good effort from our girls,” Pilot Rock coach Shelby Journot said. “They worked hard through multiple rallies and kept pushing through some tough stretches. We’ll take the lessons from this match, get back to work, and keep improving as we head to our next one.” Pilot Rock plays Thursday at Nixyaawii, while Griswold hosts Echo.
