Snohomish spikes M-P
Published 11:27 am Wednesday, September 29, 2010
SNOHOMISH — In a Tuesday night showdown against rival Marysville-Pilchuck, the top-rated team in a preseason poll of Western Conference North volleyball coaches, Snohomish was hoping to make a statement.
Loudly and clearly, the Panthers did exactly that.
In the first match of the Wesco season, Snohomish rolled past the visiting Tomahawks in consecutive games — 25-20, 25-12 and 25-19 — to improve its season record to 5-0.
“I feel very good about the way we played,” said Snohomish coach Kris Jones. “To come out and win like we did, and to play together like we did, and then to win in three (games) was much more than I expected.”
Jones has a squad of six seniors, five juniors and one outstanding freshman, “and it’s a phenomenal group of kids,” she said. “The communication on the court is pretty neat to watch. … Tonight it was nice to see everybody rise to the occasion.”
Snohomish senior Megan Rice, who had 10 digs and four service aces, said she and her teammates had particular motivation against Marysville-Pilchuck. Not only were the Tomahawks picked to win the Wesco North, but they defeated the Panthers the past two years at the district tournament.
“Marysville is always the game I mentally prepare for,” Rice said. “We always think, ‘It’s Marysville and we have to play our best.’ … It’s been a battle (between the two teams) for the last four years, so this was a dream.”
Marysville-Pilchuck started well and had a 17-14 lead in the first game, but from there the momentum swung to Snohomish. The Panthers ran off seven unanswered points to go in front to stay, and middle blocker Kai Matthews scored the final point on a kill at the net.
Snohomish breezed in the second game, jumping out to a 14-2 margin and then trading points the rest of the way for the one-sided victory. And in the third game the Panthers pulled away by scoring 10 of the final 15 points, with the match-winning point coming on a Marysville-Pilchuck violation at the net.
Cierra Short added 10 kills for Snohomish and Karissa Lamphere chipped in 21 digs.
The Panthers also got a huge lift from outside hitter Lanesha Reagan, a remarkably gifted freshman. With her ability to leap and hang in the air, she had several emphatic kills.
“(She jumps) to the moon,” Jones said with a smile. “It’s amazing. She’s our little freshman and she’s quite a volleyball player. It’s hard to picture her as a senior when that’s what you see as a freshman.”
“(Reagan) is a sensation,” Rice agreed. “She’s a great player. And she knows she’s good, but she doesn’t show it. She’s modest as heck.”
The Panthers have not been to state since 2005, but a 5-0 start this season has the team looking ahead with optimism.
“I could say we’re a veteran team,” said Jones, who has nine returning players from a year ago. “And our expectations are pretty high.”
The Tomahawks, meanwhile, have high hopes of their own, despite a disappointing showing on Tuesday.
“At times I thought we played really well,” said Marysville-Pilchuck coach Shelly Johnson, whose team slipped to 3-2. “But we just made too many errors. And a lot of times we made errors when we really crucially needed to stay solid.”
Lexi Fitzmaurice led the Tomahawks with 16 assists, while teammate Hannah Watson had eight kills.
