Kamiak’s fast-paced offense was hitting on all cylinders in a 3-0 Western Conference South Division win over visiting Edmonds-Woodway Oct. 13 at Kamiak High School.
The Warriors squandered two late leads in the first and third games and Kamiak struck the ball with ruthless efficiency to grab a 25-23, 25-15, 26-24 win.
Unable to close-out Kamiak in the first game, Edmonds-Woodway saw leads of 21-18 and 24-23 disappear in the third game as the Knights took advantage of a late service error to grab crucial late-game momentum.
The win is Wesco South-leading Kamiak’s fourth in a row and the Knights haven’t dropped a game during the streak, winning every match 3-0.
“We (Edmonds-Woodway) were hesitant,” Warriors head coach Mike Pittis said. “… We missed a few serves at critical times, obviously a real critical time at the end, but you’ve got to throw that all aside and come back and get that next point.”
Sophomore outside hitter Bryce Larson recorded 13 kills and added five digs for Kamiak. The 5-foot-9 Larson has used her powerful kills to help guide the Knights offense during its four-match winning streak. Larson is averaging 16.5 kills per match for the last four contests.
In addition to Larson, senior middle blocker Martha Muldowney had eight kills and three blocks against the Warriors.
“I think that they (Kamiak) had a lot of confidence,” Knights second-year head coach Natalie Bowie said. “Time and time again it just comes down to passing and communication. They have to pass and they have to communicate, and when they do that, everything comes into motion the way its supposed to be.
“They were solid the whole way through,” Bowie added.
Muldowney tied the score in the third game at 22-22 with a service ace and was instrumental in a strong second game for the Knights. The senior recorded a kill and the game-winning block in a 25-15 win in the second game.
Edmonds-Woodway’s Haley Scott had 10 kills and senior setter Leigh Fishback recorded 29 assists, but the Warriors were crippled by errors in the second game and had trouble finishing strong during the intense match.
“We have to pass a little better and get a little more confidence in ourselves and in each other, that’s the biggest thing right now,” Pittis said. “We’re playing pretty well, but we’re not getting the results we’d like and it all comes down to being relaxed and confident and winning points, and we’re having trouble doing that right now.”
Freshman outside hitter Miah Diirell earned seven kills for the Warriors — Diirell came into the contest averaging 16.5 kills per match during Edmonds-Woodway’s modest two-game win streak.
“It was a good test,” Pittis said. “We need these kinds of matches. … I think we’re going to be OK.”
The back-and-forth third game put a capstone on the high-energy match. The teams racked up 10-ties and five lead changes in the final game and accumulated 21 ties and nine lead changes throughout the match.
Even the second game saw four ties before a 12-3 Kamiak scoring-run gave the Knights a healthy 22-13 lead.
Kamiak junior Jazmyne Dodd helped orchestrate the run. Dodd finished with six digs, five kills and three blocks.
The Knights exuded confidence during the match and several players turned in strong performances.
Junior libero Goli Soleimanpour had 12 digs, setter Ally Bowles had 25 assists and three blocks and senior Elicia Bolding had six kills.
Kamiak’s confidence will be put to the test during its next two games — the Knights face strong Wesco South competition with road games against Mountlake Terrace (Thursday) and Meadowdale (Oct. 20).
Mark Nelson writes for The Herald.
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