Kamiak hands Lynnwood its first loss

Published 11:18 pm Thursday, October 1, 2009

MUKILTEO — The flu bug is making its way through the volleyball ranks of the Western Conference South Division.

Kamiak, who had players out sick in a loss at Monroe last week, played fast and strong to upend a decimated Lynnwood squad 25-5, 25-17, 25-15 Thursday night in the Wesco South opener for both teams at Kamiak High School.

The Knights (1-0 league, 5-1 overall) battered previously undefeated Lynnwood (0-1, 5-1) with strong serving, stout defense and the offense of outside hitters Jazmyne Dodd and Bryce Larson.

“That’s what we like,” Kamiak head coach Natalie Bowie said. “We want to play a fast-paced game.”

Lynnwood, meanwhile, had the unenviable task of battling multiple opponents.

The Royals were already without one player due to injury, but lost their starting libero, 5-foot junior Kayla Dumo, halfway through the first game because of the flu. Junior Kelsey Parker stepped up to replace Dumo and finished the match with 13 digs.

Senior outside hitter Jordan Krubally also was playing on a sprained ankle.

Laycee Hill, a 5-6 senior setter, tried to inject Lynnwood with some energy by chasing after numerous loose balls and dishing out 12 assists throughout the contest, but the Royals couldn’t overcome more than their fair share of hitting errors.

“We had moments that we hung in there, but we were not up to par,” Lynnwood head coach Jean Kellogg said.

Kamiak rattled off runs of eight- and 10-straight points on its way to dominating the first game. The Royals couldn’t catch up with sophomore Ally Bowles’ quick assists to Dodd and Larson on the corners.

Larson finished the match with 12 kills and Dodd added eight for the Knights.

“(The team) played solid, they were consistent all the way through,” Bowie said.

The Kamiak defense also did a solid job containing Lynnwood’s ever-dangerous senior outside hitter Jessika Barlow.

Barlow, still recovering from an earlier bout with the flu according to Kellogg, had just five kills. The senior came into the contest averaging 17 kills per match, including a 21-kill performance Sept. 24 against Lake Stevens.

“We shortened practice this week to deal with it (flu),” Kellogg said. “I can’t do anything about it, we’ve got to play through this.

“I’m giving them tomorrow off, obviously. I’m better off having a healthy team than a sick team,” Kellogg said.

Trailing 8-1 in the second game, Lynnwood showed some sparks of life and battled back behind the blocking and hitting of middle blockers Mokun Fajemisin and Apol Thomaier, along with Krubally.

Kamiak’s only service error of the contest made it 24-16 in the second game and the Royals were able to stave off three game-point opportunities (including the service error) before Anna Senouillet spiked the ball to give Kamiak the game.

“(Kamiak) plays a wonderful, quick offense,” Kellogg said. “They served us hard.”

The Knights had eight service aces, compared to only one service error.

Elicia Bolding, a 5-10 senior, scored five of eight points for Kamiak during an 8-1 run in the middle of the third game. Bolding had three kills and two service aces during the run.

Bowie said the Knights accomplished nearly all the goals they laid out prior to the contest. The only one Kamiak missed was a perfect serving night.

“We’re happy about the outcome,” Bowie said.

Kellogg found some solace in her reasoning that it is better for the Royals to be depleted and lose to a Kamiak team she called the league favorite, than to fall to a lesser squad.

For the Knights, the first league win of the season is a step toward a larger goal: reaching the state tournament, which the team failed to do in 2008 after being bounced by Stanwood in the district tournament.

“I’ve coached a lot of (the players) over the last several years,” said Bowie, who previously served as Kamiak’s junior varsity coach. “They work hard and they’re determined to get better at everything.”