Warden falls in four to Walla Walla Valley Academy

WARDEN — The Warden volleyball team put up a tough fight against the Walla Walla Valley Academy Knights Monday evening but fell in a tight four sets.

“Our girls didn’t come out with the right energy that they needed on our home court and WWVA definitely came out with the energy and it showed,” said Warden Head Coach Shanna Golladay.

From the start, the Warden Cougars seemed to struggle to find their groove. In set one, WWVA scored two points before Warden could get on the board. When Warden returned the favor with two points, the Knights bit back with six consecutive points. Though the Cougars tried to work their way to catch up, they just couldn’t quite get there and fell in the first set 17-25.

In the second set, Warden again gave up the first two points to Walla Walla Valley but made quick work to come back. Tied several times throughout the set at 6-6, 13-13, 21-21, Warden was able to push through and take the second set right out from under the Knights 25-23.

“We tend to get behind a little bit and then have to work our way back,” said Golladay. “As you can see, we’re really good at working our way back but once the other team gets closer to that 24-25 (point mark), there’s not much room for error.”

The third set was another close matchup. Almost like pinball, each team went back and forth, scoring and one-upping the other only to turn around and have it dished back. By the time of the first time out, called by the Knights, Warden was up 19-16. Before long however, Walla Walla came back and they were tied at 22-all. With three consecutive final points, Walla Walla walked with set three, 25-22.

In the final set, Walla Walla came out with a renewed drive and scored the first four points of the set. Quickly, the Cougars found themselves down 1-8 before they were able to work in some points and start leveling the fight from 7-16 to 17-17. The nine-consecutive-point-run by Warden to catch up made Golladay proud, she said, but hopes in the future not to have to catch up but rather bring that intensity in the beginning.

The Cougars fought back and forth but eventually fell in the final set to Walla Walla Valley 21-25.

Some stats:

• Alyssa Martinez had 10 digs and a 2.3 serve-receive ratio. She also brought lots of energy and inspiration to the team, Golladay said.

• Lauryn Madsen served 19/19 with 5 aces and 6 kills.

• Brianna Martinez was consistent across the board with 5 kills, 11/12 serving and 2.2 serve-receive ratio.

• Celety Egia had 12 digs and a 2.1 serve-receive.

“This was a big game, we really needed this win,” said Golladay.

She explained that a lot of teams in their conference had taken turns beating each other which has made standings in the league unpredictable at times. The same has happened with Warden and Walla Walla Valley. Warden beat WWVA 3-2 earlier this season and now has fallen to the same team, 3-1.

The Cougars’ overall record is 9-5 and conference record is 5-3.

“You get to this point in the season, you have to create some new energy,” said Golladay. “You have to dig really, really deep to finish strong.”

The Cougars hope to turn the tide when they take on Dayton-Waitsburg Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at home. Their final regular season game is scheduled for Oct. 27 against River View.

Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.