Devils dance their way past Mansfield

WILSON CREEK - Head coach Mike Ottis and his Wilson Creek Lady Devils felt awfully good about the way their 2007 season had started.

Awfully good, that is, until they absorbed a three-game pummeling at Moses Lake Christian, the state's fifth-ranked 1B team, last Thursday. Ottis and his girls thought they were ready to compete with the undefeated Lions, but it didn't happen that way.

"Playing as poorly as we did against Moses Lake Christian was the equivalent of getting a kick in the gut," Ottis said. "We thought we were at a certain level, and now it's a matter of confidence."

When the Lady Devils returned to the court Tuesday night for the first time since that beatdown, there was a noticeable effect. But it wasn't enough to keep Wilson Creek from improving to 8-2 overall, 6-2 in North Central Washington League play, with a 25-14, 25-13, 25-9 win over the inexperienced Mansfield Kernels.

"The girls are still suffering a bit, they have a little bit of a hangover from it," Ottis added. "You can see tonight just by the lack of sharpness."

Wilson Creek's rust was apparent at times on serve receiving and passing. But Mansfield struggled mightily with most facets of the game, and Wilson Creek's key players - Ksenja Fredere, Jackie Treat and Tiffany Friend - overwhelmed the Kernels.

Fredere served seven straight points in game one as Wilson Creek opened up a 15-8 lead, and Treat served the final four points to close it out. Paige Dennis had a four-point run from the serving line to end game two, and Friend had a nine-point streak as the Devils cruised to a 20-5 lead in game three.

The Devils served 22 aces on the night. Fredere and Treat tied for the team-high with six kills apiece, while Friend added five kills.

Fredere, a returning first-team all-leaguer, is what Ottis likes to refer to as a "third-year sophomore." Under state rules, eighth-graders are allowed to play for 1B high schools, so Fredere actually has two years of prior varsity experience. She has been the Lady Devils' top offensive performer again in 2007.

"She's a good athlete," Ottis said. "She finished fifth in state in tennis last year. She's our go-to girl."

But the coach wants to deny opponents the strategy of shutting down just Fredere, which is why he believes the continued improvement of Treat, senior Brittnee Reyes and freshman Holly Wilson are integral to the team's success come playoff time.

"Jackie Treat's coming on as an outside hitter," Ottis said. "When Holly and Brittnee finally get going, we're going to have two more taller kids in the middle that we can actually go to. What I'm trying for is a little bit more balanced attack."

The Lady Devils get their next big test on Thursday when they travel to Pateros at 5:30 p.m. The Nannies won the teams' previous matchup, so Ottis is curious to see if his girls can make the proper adjustments.

With three teams from the North Central Washington League qualifying for the state tournament this year, the Devils' chances for an extended postseason run are even greater. But Ottis wants to see better serving and defense out of his group.

"Against Moses Lake Christian, out of our first 27 serves, we missed 12," he said. "Tonight we missed four total, and that's the kind of turnaround we need to see."