Lynnwood focused in crucial win against Arlington

Published 11:04 pm Thursday, October 16, 2014

BOTHELL — It’s one thing to be excited for a big volleyball match, it’s another to let that excitement get in the way of getting a win.

Lynnwood head coach Annalise Mudaliar admitted her team might have been guilty of the latter in Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to Shorewood.

The Royals harnessed their energy on Thursday and stayed focused throughout a 3-1 victory over Arlington. Set scores were 25-18, 25-20, 20-25 and 25-19.

“It’s a huge win,” Mudaliar said. “For us this season, this was our biggest week, as far as we were concerned, considering the standings. Against Shorewood we came in a little over-excited and just weren’t as mentally in it and prepared as we should have been. Yesterday in practice, we worked really hard on just fighting from the beginning, fighting during (the match) and fighting to the end. Today, they showed up and did just that. They stayed strong the whole time.”

Lynnwood took control of the match midway through the first set, pulling away behind senior outside hitter Jenny Martinez and sophomore middle blocker Kaprice Boston. The two combined for seven kills in the first set and five kills in the second to give the Royals a 2-0 lead in the match.

“Momentum is everything, especially when you’re playing against a great team like Arlington, you have to have the momentum on your side,” Mudaliar said. “You want to establish it from the very beginning and just keep pushing point by point.”

Martinez finished the match with 18 kills and 20 digs to lead the way for the Royals.

“She is our go-to player,” Mudaliar said of Martinez. “She’s a captain. She plays outside for us and also in the middle. She’s just a dominant player. When she’s on, she’s on, and she’s somebody that the girls trust.”

Boston imposed her will at the net as well, finishing with 12 kills and five blocks.

“She’s has just improved every day,” Mudaliar said of Boston. “She’s a huge presence at the net for us. She anticipates the ball really well and reads the hitter really well. She’s a force at the net. It’s fun to watch her play.”

The Royals overcame eight kills in the first set by Arlington senior Audrey Frolich. In sets two through four, the Royals defense did a significantly better job containing the Eagles’ most dangerous hitter.

“We knew coming in that she was their top hitter,” Mudaliar said. “We really focused on blocking — pressing and pushing and closing the block — and making sure our timing was there, so that it would force her to hit around us.”

Frolich finished the match with 20 kills and 17 digs.

Arlington avoided a sweep with a 25-20 victory in the third set, but Lynnwood responded by pulling away late in the fourth set to secure the victory.

“We have a young varsity team (with) a lot of new kids, so that mental toughness is key,” Mudaliar said. “When you (lose a set), to fight back from that and to come out firing and ready to go is just huge for us.”