Knights send message
Published 11:12 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
MUKILTEO — The new-look Kamiak High School volleyball team is sending a message: Even though most of its faces are different, the winning tradition will continue.
All but one key player from last year’s Kamiak squad graduated this past spring, seemingly leaving a shaky future for the Knights, who placed fourth at the 2007 Class 4A state tournament. But the talent pool is clearly still deep for Kamiak, which beat the Monroe Bearcats 3-1 Thursday in a non-division match between top-10 teams at the Kamiak High gym.
Ignited by senior middle blocker Bailey Jones (14 kills, six blocks), unbeaten Kamiak lost the first game 28-26 but closed out the match with victories of 25-19, 25-23 and 25-19.
Freshmen Bryce Larson (13 kills, 10 digs) and Ally Bowles (17 assists, six blocks) also stepped up for Kamiak (5-0), ranked No. 5 in the state coaches’ 4A poll. Kamiak continued its mastery over fourth-ranked Monroe (5-1), which lost to Kamiak in the past two District 1 championship matches.
What was the difference in this clash? Kamiak had a bye Tuesday and had more than enough time to get psyched up, said Jones.
“We just had the energy this time. We had no doubts in our mind that we were going to win,” Jones said. “Every girl was here to play. We’d been thinking about it all day long.”
Monroe prevailed in an epic first game that featured 19 ties and 19 lead changes. Kylin Munoz’s kill made it 27-26 and Monroe won when Kamiak committed a double hit on the next point.
Munoz had a match-high 25 kills.
After falling behind, Kamiak regrouped and showed it might once again be the team to beat when the district tourney rolls around. The Knights’ defense repeatedly kept plays alive when it looked like Monroe’s hitters found an opening.
“They’re a very strong defensive team,” Monroe head coach April Munoz said of Kamiak. “There were a lot of balls coming back that we’re used to going down. Being that we’re a young team, (we) struggled and they started looking at each other to do the job instead of digging within themselves.”
Monroe’s mistakes boiled over in the third game. The Bearcats had six serving errors and numerous mix-ups on defense. Kamiak scored the game’s winning point on a playable bump by Jessica Ramos. The ball fell between several Monroe players.
Besides having a slew of new starters, including two freshmen, Kamiak has a first-year head coach, Natalie Bowie. But Bowie has been an assistant in the program for awhile and knew the 2008 Knights had skills.
She just didn’t expect them to be so good so fast.
“Our seniors have just taken everybody under their wings and really made this team jell really early in the season,” Bowie said.
She praised energetic players like Jones, who verbally committed to play for Western Washington University, for bringing the Knights together and filling a void.
“We have a tight-knit group. Graduating seven, eight seniors last year (made it) really tough for us to think that we were going to have a core leadership team step up,” Bowie said. “We’ve been very fortunate that people like Bailey and Jessica Ramos and Georgia McClaskey have come together and just said, ‘We’re going to take care of you guys.’”
Kamiak, which competes in the Western Conference South Division, and Monroe (Wesco North) both begin division play next week. Kamiak plays host to Glacier Peak on Monday. Monroe plays host to Cascade on Tuesday.
In the final game Thursday, Monroe fought back from a 17-13 deficit and got within a point when Kylin Munoz ripped three consecutive kills on assists from Kaitlyn Drew. But Kamiak won eight of the next 11 points and prevailed.
Besides Munoz, Monroe’s other leaders were Drew (37 assists, eight digs, four aces) and Megan Birch (eight digs).
Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam.
