Big Bend falls to Walla Walla in five games

MOSES LAKE - Big Bend Community College lost a crucial home match to Walla Walla in five games (25-16, 18-25, 25-20, 19-25, 7-15) Wednesday night.

The loss drops the Vikings to 5-7 in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges East region and 11-21 overall. Big Bend holds a narrow lead over Columbia Basin for the fourth and final playoff spot in the region.

"I think overall we played pretty consistent," head coach Allison Baker said. "It's just giving up those few runs of errors, runs of two, three, four (points) that we let the other team kind of build the lead."

Wednesday was the final home match of the season for the Vikings and the last time their two sophomores would play a regular season match in the DeVries Activity Center. Outside hitter Katie Reeder and setter McKall Miller were honored during the pregame ceremonies.

The two sophomores both served as team captains and have been helped lead the freshman-laden Vikings throughout the season.

"They're big players," Baker said. "McKall obviously setting for us and Katie really steps up to the plate when we ask her to do something, you know, when we really need a kill and a play she's someone you can depend on."

Big Bend closes the season with two road matches against Spokane and Wenatchee Valley. Baker hopes the team can finish strong with two wins to lock up a playoff spot.

"This last week we'd like to get two wins," she said. "If not we at least need to get one to stay in that number four spot, but we're really close to staying in that four spot. It really depends on what other teams do. We have a little bit of control of it if we can win these next couple games, but it also depends on how other teams do."