Pendleton fends off La Grande in four sets
By ANNIE FOWLER, The CUJ
LA GRANDE — Pendleton made a clean sweep of the first half of the Greater Oregon League schedule with a 17-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-16 victory over La Grande on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
“We lost the first set on account of a lot of errors on our part,” Pendleton coach Jodi Primus said. “The girls really pulled together and kept focused on making some offensive and defensive adjustments to find more holes and seal up some of our holes.”
Avery Brown had 16 kills with a 50% kill percentage, along with four solo blocks and six block assists for the Bucks, while Josie Jenness had 35 assists. Nicole Somnis added nine kills, while Sophie Nelson had six kills, two solo blocks and six block assists, and Finley Evans had 29 digs.
“Finley showed a lot of hustle on defense, picking up some tough digs and covering a lot of the court,” Primus said. “La Grande played some tough defense, which we always expect, but we kept making adjustments and working together to pull off the W tonight.”
Nelson was perfect at the service line for the Bucks with four aces, while Somnis had three aces and no errors.
The Tigers, who dropped to 0-2 in GOL play, got 10 assists, six kills, three blocks and three aces from Aubrey Bisenius, while Maddie Armstrong had seven kills, three blocks and served at 100%. Rilley Robinson had 15 digs and served at 98%, while Kayle Coleman had 10 digs, four kills, three blocks and served at 100%, Emcee Hutchins three blocks, two aces and two kills, and Madison Seavert seven digs, two kills, and served at 100%.
“Overall, it was a hard-fought match,” La Grande coach Melinda Becker-Bisenius said. “We played really scrappy.”
The Tigers (2-9 overall) will play Thursday at Ontario, while the Bucks (9-3) will host Hood River on Monday.
PILOT ROCK 3, NIXYÁAWII 0 — Lillie Holman had 11 kills and Coley Gibbs added seven kills, 13 digs and nine aces as the Rockets picked up a 25-13, 25-14, 25-16 Old Oregon League home win over the Golden Eagles.
“We played well as a team tonight,” Pilot Rock coach Jen Porter said. “Everyone contributed to the win. We were aggressive on offense, and we were moving and talking on defense.”
Kashley Golden chipped in seven kills, while Aubrey Corwin handed out 16 assists, and Kessa Litfin had seven digs and nine assists.
“Lillie and Coley both had a great all-round game tonight. Aubrey also did a great job setting and was very effective serving. It was nice to get one more league win.”
Brianah Matamoros had three aces and seven digs for the Golden Eagles, while Annalise Watchman had six assists, Liana Higheagle six kills and three blocks, and Aiyana Thompson-Redelk two aces and two kills.
“We lacked in communication tonight and that cost us some points,” Nixyáawii coach Rayne Spencer said. “The girls are still hustling and making some great plays. We will continue to move forward and make adjustments as we go.”
The Rockets (4-13 overall, 3-4 OOL) will play Saturday at Imbler and Cove.
The Golden Eagles (1-7, 0-4) will play Thursday at Echo.
GRISWOLD 3, NIXYÁAWII 1 — The Grizzlies snapped a four-match losing streak Monday with a 25-15, 25-16, 24-26, 25-20 Old Oregon League win over the Golden Eagles in Mission.
“We had a strong showing tonight as a team,” Nixyáawii coach Rayne Spencer said. “It’s not always reflected in our record, but they have put in so much work since the beginning of the season and we are starting to see a lot of positives come from that. When they are having fun and playing together as a team, they are a force and that was how we took set three.
Elliana Boatright led the Grizzlies (4-9 overall, 3-2 OOL) with five kills and two blocks, while Ellie Morris had 11 aces.
As a team, the Golden Eagles had 27 kills, 22 assists, 21 aces and 30 digs.
Griswold will host Condon on Thursday.
