PREP VOLLEYBALL

Montesano 3, Hoquiam 1

Hoquiam put up a fight but Montesano found a way to close things out in a close match to start league play for both teams.

Montesano (6-1, 1-0 Evergreen 1A) came away with the 3-1 win by scores of 25-17, 25-18, 23-25 and 25-21 in Montesano on Tuesday thanks in part to a strong game from McKynnlie Dalan, who had 10 kills.

Monte didn’t have too much trouble early in the first set, but hitting errors started to slow down the Bulldogs as the Grizzlies took the lead halfway through the set.

Bulldogs head coach Pat Pace liked what he saw from hitters early in the match but was disappointed to see the offense slow as the night went on.

“I thought our hitters made a statement early on, but that statement didn’t last very long,” he said.

Hoquiam (1-5, 0-1) lost their first league match of the season, but Hoquiam head coach Heather Bozich found reasons to be optimistic about the trajectory of her team after the contest, stating her team responded well after being initially intimidated.

“I think we started out really slow. I think it was more of a mental game for us knowing how tough Monte is,” she said. “We started playing our game and we did a really good job.”

Offense was spread out for the Grizzlies with Carsyn Munger leading the way with nine kills. Middle blocker Chloe Kennedy also had a solid game with six kills.

Hoquiam’s scrappy play didn’t go unnoticed by Pace, who said he felt his team was a little slow-footed by comparison.

“They were moving better on the court than we did. We have some girls that can hit at them but I think they out-maneuvered us,” he said. “We might have come out with the win tonight, but I thought (Hoquiam) played great.”

Hoquiam’s Maggie Mazariegos and Hailey Lawerence come together to dig out a shot in the fourth set of a match against Montesano. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Montesano will take a brief break from the league schedule with an appearance at the Lumberjill Invite at RA Long High School on Saturday. Elma is among the eight teams playing in the tournament and Pace is hoping to get a feel for what Elma brings to the table before they meet again for their league match on Oct. 8.

Hoquiam will take on the Eagles in what will be Elma’s first league match on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Elma.

Bozich knows her team will be up against a tough challenge against Elma and thinks her team is ready to put up a fight based on how it played against Monte.

“I’m really proud of how hard they played tonight. They didn’t give up,” she said. They could have very easily given up and they turned it around and played really hard. We’re moving in the right direction”

Montesano 25 25 23 25 – 3

Hoquiam 17 18 25 21 – 1

Top Players: Hoquiam – Hailey Lawrence (13 digs), Munger (9 kills, 2 blocks); Montesano – Dalan (10 kills) Janessa Otterstetter (15 assists)

Elma 3, Tenino 0

The Elma Eagles recorded a staggering 35 aces en route to a straight-set victory over the Tenino Beavers on Tuesday in Elma.

Eagles setter Ella Moore led the way for Elma, breaking teammate Quin Mikel’s school record for aces in a single game with 10.

“She was serving really well,” Elma head coach Kendra Dunn said. “She was focused and played hard.”

Moore also had 20 assists in the 25-3, 25-13, 25-4 victory, most of those going to middle blocker Jalyn Sackrider, who had 12 kills to lead Elma.

“They all had really high energy and were having fun the whole time and I think that was a big factor,” Dunn said of the Eagles’ overall play. “We just kind of came out ready to play and played tough.”

Elma (5-2, 1-0 Evergreen 1A) takes on Hoquiam at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Tenino 3 13 4 — 0

Elma 25 25 25 — 3

Top Players: Elma — Sackrider (12 kills, 6 aces); Moore (20 assists, 10 aces)

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

Centralia 3, Aberdeen 0

Aberdeen is still searching for its first win of the 2019 season after falling in straight sets to Centralia on Tuesday.

Aberdeen (0-6, 0-1 Evergreen 2A) lost its 2A Evergreen League opener by scores of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-11.

Kaely Chum was 12-for-13 in service and Kennedy Pruett led the Bobcats with six kills.

“I thought we had our best offensive game last week versus Ocosta, but that didn’t carry over tonight,” Aberdeen head coach Doug Basler said. “We didn’t cover tips very well and gave up a lot of easy points on unforced errors.”

Aberdeen competes in its second straight road league game when the Bobcats face WF West at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Chehalis.

Aberdeen 19 20 11 — 0

Centralia 25 25 25 — 3

Top Players: Aberdeen — Pruett (6 kills)

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

Lake Quinault 3, Oakville 0

Kariana Fowler had 13 kills to lead Lake Quinault to a victory in straight sets over Oakville on Tuesday at Oakville High School.

The Elks (7-1, 2-0 Coastal 1B) won 25-9, 25-13 and 25-5.

Sophomore setter Nevaeh Richards was a perfect 17-for-17 in service for the Elks.

Kiya Kalama also had a good night for Lake Quinault, going 12-for-16 in service with three aces and three digs.

Elks head coach Jody Lines said she likes the way her team is starting to gel as the season nears the home stretch.

“The girls are playing well together. They’re starting to come together as a team,” Lines said. “Our passing has been a lot better and overall, we are learning to communicate, which is our key.”

The Elks host Wishkah Valley in a league contest scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Lake Quinault 25 25 25 — 3

Oakville 9 13 5 — 0

Top Players: Lake Quinault — Fowler (13 kills); Kalama (3 aces, 3 digs)

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

GIRLS PREP SOCCER

Montesano 8, Hoquiam 1

Montesano didn’t waste any time establishing a lead with two quick goals from Jaiden Morrison in the first 10 minutes as the Bulldogs cruised to a 9-1 win over Hoquiam at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano on Tuesday.

Montesano’s Sierra Birdsall controls a pass near the sidelines while defended by Hoquiam’s Emily Daniels in the first half of a match at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Lightning struck twice for Morrison, who scored in the second and sixth minutes with break-away goals that quickly put the Bulldogs (4-2, 1-0 Evergreen 1A) up 2-0.

Monte head coach Fidel Sanchez said Morrison’s early goals were the result of good ball movement through the midfield.

“It wasn’t her alone. We moved the ball well enough to give her those chances to get her open with a lot of time and space,” he said. “That’s one of the things that we worked on. We wanted to get the ball up to people so they can score goals. That’s what happened the first 10 minutes. We went after it and got it done.”

Brooke Streeter got on the score sheet as well, scoring back-to-back goals in the 15th and 17th minutes to push the margin to 4-0.

Elleah Jones scored the first of her two goals in the 25th minute to bring the score to 6-0 at the time but Sanchez said the passing wasn’t as crisp for the Bulldogs at that point in the contest.

“The first 20 minutes were good and the second half of the first half was a little bit of a struggle,” he said. “We adjusted a little better in the second half and we started moving the ball again. It doesn’t matter what the score is, we have to stay focused.”

Passing miscues at the back led to Hoquiam’s only goal as the Grizzlies (2-4-1, 0-1) got on the board with a Sadie Carlyle goal in the 30th minute.

When the dust settled, Monte had an insurmountable 6-1 lead heading into the locker room, allowing both sides to get some of their bench players extra playing time in the final 40 minutes.

Montesano’s Elleah Jones, left, celebrates with Brooke Streeter, middle, and Izabel Cope after scoring a goal in the 25th minute of the first half of a match against Hoquiam. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Hoquiam will hope for better luck when they take on Elma on Thursday at home at 7 p.m.

Montesano is also in action on Thursday with a 6 p.m. game at Forks.

Sanchez doesn’t know what kind of challenges Forks will bring but will be looking for his team to bring Tuesday’s level of intensity on Thursday.

“I told the girls that this sets the tone for the league. We wanted to get out there and play tough and fast. And we did that tonight,” he said.

Hoquiam 1 0 – 1

Montesano 6 2 – 8

Top Players: Streeter (2 G,15th and 17th minute), Jones (2G, 25th and 72nd minute), Morrison (2nd and 6th minute)

Aberdeen 4, Centralia 0

Aberdeen dominated from start to finish en route to a 4-0 league victory over Centralia on Tuesday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

The Bobcats (4-2, 1-0 Evergreen 2A) got on the board in the 22nd minute when Lilly Allen followed up a failed clearance by Centralia (0-6, 0-1) and beat the Tigers keeper from 10-yards out for a 1-0 lead.

Six minutes later, forward Emma Green did what she does best, drawing a foul in the box to earn Aberdeen a penalty kick. Senior midfielder Abbie Bradt converted the PK to put Aberdeen up 2-0.

Bradt scored again after halftime, putting a 25-yard free kick into the back of the Centralia net for a 3-0 lead in the 52nd minute.

The Bobcats rounded out the scoring when Elizabeth Martinez received a pass from Emmy Walsh and scored on a 20-yard shot with six minutes left in the game.

Aberdeen outshot Centralia 13-4, with Bobcats goal keeper Char Gutierrez earning her second shutout of the season.

“This was a solid performance by our girls,” Aberdeen head coach Larry Fleming said. “They are working hard every day to improve and are starting to do the little things better. It shows in our overall play.”

Aberdeen JV defeated Centralia JV 4-1 with goals scored by Kaila Hogarty, Aili Scott, Marina Maril and Emma Siano.

Centralia 0 0 — 0

Aberdeen 2 2 — 4

Top Players: Aberdeen — Allen (G, 22nd minute); Bradt (2 G, 28th, 52nd minute); Martinez (G, 74th minute); Walsh (A)

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

BOYS PREP TENNIS

Tumwater 4, Aberdeen 2

The Aberdeen Bobcats lost Tuesday’s tennis match against Tumwater 4-2 in Aberdeen.

Aberdeen (6-4, 3-3 Evergreen 2A) will face Centralia at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Singles — Ethan Dillon (Tenino) defeated Ashdon Swope (Aberdeen) 6-0, 6-1; Noah Tompkins (T) def. Andrew Troeh (A) 2-6, 7-6(4), 10-7; Sawyer Lougheed (T) def. Carter Olsen (A) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles — Peyton Peterson/Gunnar Fields (T) def. Brice Kola/Colton Faulkner (A) 6-2, 6-2; Colby Miller/Romeo Sanchez (A) def. Clayton Pierpoint/Drew Johnson (T) 6-1, 6-4; Erik Eng/Anthony Alexander (A) def. Lukas Stuart/Pierce Yates (T) 6-0, 6-0

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group