Chiefs soundly rejected
Moses Lake overpowered by Pasco in three games
When a team plays inconsistently, a strong opponent will take advantage of that. Unfortunately for Moses Lake, Pasco was a strong opponent.
The Pasco Bulldogs swept the Chiefs in three games in 4A girls volleyball action in Moses Lake Thursday night.
The Chiefs came out strong in game one, trailing late when a Lisa Dodgen kill pulled them to within two, to make it 20-22. Pasco held on to win the game 25-21, but Moses Lake head coach Amy Utter liked what she saw.
"I thought we played really well in game one just a few errors made the difference," she said. "It was like in game two we were not the same team."
The Chiefs played on their heels most of the night, unable to consistently be the aggressor.
In game two, the Chiefs held a 3-3 tie, until a five-point Pasco run tilted the balance for good. Pasco capitalized on Chief errors and seemed to get a hand on every spike, stringing together runs of three and four points.
"We were just really flat and inconsistent and it made the difference," Utter said. "(Pasco is) a strong enough team that if we're not aggressive and able to attack the ball at them, they are going to take advantage of that as much as possible."
Pasco stormed out to a 10-0 lead in game three against a Moses Lake team that appeared already defeated. The Bulldogs took that game 25-9.
Outside-hitter Lisa Dodgen led the Chiefs with five kills, four digs, and three blocks. Setter Ashley Haight added eight assists.
Utter said her team's play belies their talent.
"I think we have really good volleyball players," she said. "We're just not playing consistent right now, and I don't think we're playing with a lot of confidence. We can do things very well we showed in game one we can play well."
For the Chiefs, Utter believes success in the mental game will translate on the court.
"It's easy for them to let the doubt creep in," she said. "They don't realize how good they are as individuals and how that can contribute to our success."