Wahluke Warrior girls playing better but still fall twice

MATTAWA — The Wahluke volleyball girls are playing better than last year, but victories are still hard to come by in the South Central A Conference East.

The first league match at Burbank looked promising in the first game. The Warrior girls were in it most of the way before losing 17-25 and dropping 10-25 and 4-25 follow-up games.

“We started off very strong,” coach Rudi Hirai said. “There were several good volleys, and our defense kept us in the game. As the night went on, our confidence declined, and we were not able to keep up with Burbank’s hard hitters.”

There was some good Warrior play that should be lauded. Dianne Cruz came up with 11 digs, Selena Prudente made 12 digs and Abby Yorgesen made four blocks.

The Warriors followed up on Friday with a match at Mabon. They were hot again in the first game before falling 24-26, 14-25, 13-25.

“We lacked communication on the court,” Hirai said. “We also had several hitting errors that contributed to us falling short.”

Selena Prudente executed nine digs, Rebecca Ramirez put up five assists and served two aces. Abby Yorgesen scored two aces.

The Warriors finished the week at the Sundome Tournament in Yakima. They did not bring home any wins, but they played well in pool competition and picked up some needed practice.

“We look forward to playing at home this Tuesday,” Hirai said.

Always tough Kiona-Benton will be the opponent. The Warriors will play at River View on Thursday and host Kittitas on Saturday.