Warden controls tempo in first league win
Lady Cougars play through shaky first game to top Wahluke
The Lady Cougars looked strong when they wanted to.
Warden battled inconsistency early to win their first league game, beating Wahluke in four games 21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-14 in Warden Thursday night.
The Lady Cougars fell behind early in game one. Tentative play dug them an early hole from which they could not escape.
"After we lost that first game, I was afraid that we were going to go away," said Warden head coach David Vega. "But we came back strong."
Game two involved many long rallies, but it was defined by one single play.
Warden seemed poised to repeat game one as they fell behind 10-6. Yet, after a few Warden points, middle-hitter Jennifer Kottong came up with a key stuff that seemed to rob Wahluke of any momentum for the rest of the match. Moments later, a strong Mirielle Pixton kill gave Warden the lead.
"She gave us that big block there that gave us momentum in that second game," Vega said of Kottong. "She's a girl who can really be a stud for us and she came up big for us."
Warden kept the lead thanks to a balanced attack led by Amy Martinez, a defensive specialist who came of the bench and added some key serves.
"That was the first real action she's seen and she did a heck of a job coming in and keeping us alive when we really needed it," Vega said.
After taking game two, Warden rolled out to an 8-0 on the backs of outside-hitter Sierra Kisler and Kottong, who finished with nine kills and 10 digs.
"We relaxed and we played with a lot more confidence and a lot more freedom than we had before," Vega said. "In the first game you could see we really tight and worried. Once we let go of that and decided to play more loosely, we took over."
With the win, Warden moves to 1-0 in league play. Vega stressed the importance of the match.
"We had to have it," he said. "We couldn't lose our first match at home. It was vital."
The Lady Cougars play their next game Thursday night against Royal in Royal City.