Lynnwood’s defense key in volleyball win over Arlington

Published 11:05 pm Thursday, September 16, 2010

ARLINGTON — Facing a size disadvantage at the net, the Lynnwood volleyball team placed a healthy dose of reliance on its defense during a 3-1 nonconference win over Arlington Thursday night at Arlington High School.

Senior libero Kelsey Parker had eight digs and 5-foot-2 senior defensive specialist Kelly Singleterry added seven digs as the Royals earned the win by scores of 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 25-18.

Arlington (1-2 overall) stymied Lynnwood’s 6-foot senior middle blocker Apol Thomaier, limiting her to seven kills, but that opened up the floor for other attackers to capitalize for the Royals (2-0).

Junior outside hitter Arianna Garcia had six kills, junior setter Jennifer Tsuji had four aces and junior outside hitter Dominique Collins had a team-high 11 kills — including two crucial kills that helped Lynnwood secure a win in the first game.

“They had to move and over-teamed (Thomaier) and we had to change our attack strategy,” Lynnwood head coach Jean Kellogg said. “I had to rely on our defense (because of Arlington’s size). I thought Kelsey Parker had an excellent night on ‘D’, she was picking up a lot of stuff.”

Experience eclipsed size as the Royals, a team with eight seniors, were able to rally from a small deficit in Game 2 and efficiently put the match away with a dominant final game.

Lynnwood rested its hat on senior experience while Arlington’s inexperience, with just four seniors, led to more than a few unforced errors.

“I think they’re just not playing aggressive,” first-year Arlington head coach Melissa Thompson said of her team’s struggles in the match. “They’re playing reactively instead of being proactive and using their speed and aggression. They’re kind of reacting instead of running at our pace.”

Arlington did have a bright spot come through in the third game, a two-point win for the Eagles.

Arlington built a 22-15 lead in the third game on back-to-back aces by 6-foot-1 senior middle blocker Kenzie Jorgenson and held off a Lynnwood rally to stay alive in the match. Junior outside hitter Lexi Sarver came up with a big block to give Arlington a 24-22 lead for game-point — the Royals closed the gap to 24-23 before an attacking error ended the game.

“Our blocking started coming together and we started realizing that we have to move and be aggressive toward the ball,” Thompson said of Arlington’s performance in Game 3. “Our serving was strong and that kept us in the game also.”

Jorgenson finished with three aces, 10 kills and five blocks for the Eagles and 6-foot junior outside hitter Cassie Van Loo added a match-high 12 kills.

Senior setter Melissa Webb provided a spark for Arlington with two aces, four kills and 22 assists.

While Lynnwood looks like a strong contender for the top spot in Wesco 3A this season, Arlington could be a team to pull off a few upsets. The Eagles were projected to finish last in the 4A Wesco North by area coaches, but if the team is able to form a bond and communicate effectively in matches, Arlington just might be a dangerous team to play.

“This is the most improved team I’ve seen in the league so far,” Kellogg said of the Eagles. “Last year, Arlington struggled and I’m going to tip my hat to this coach. Whatever they’ve done in the offseason, they have a very dynamite team and it’s only going to get better and stronger. I’m just very impressed in how quickly they’ve gone from struggling to turning it around.”

Thompson, Arlington’s coach who was previously at Grace Academy, took the early season loss in stride.

“Even though we lost on the scoreboard, we made some significant improvements in our mechanics tonight,” Thompson said. “As long as we keep moving up, that’s OK with me, we’re progressing and that’s the most important.”

Thompson preached simplicity and aggression Thursday, but teaching a team to be aggressive is not something that comes easily.

“Desire is tough to teach. It’s inborn, it’s not something I can tell them to do,” Thompson said.