Eagles continue to find success on the court

SOAP LAKE — The wins continue to come in for Soap Lake volleyball, who improved to 9-2 this season with Tuesday’s 3-0 sweep of Thorp at home.

Soap Lake is on a five-game win streak ahead of Thursday’s road game against Cascade Christian, and the Eagles are looking to keep that momentum through the final two weeks of the regular season.

“The amount of work they put in and the dedication they have to their team is admirable,” Soap Lake coach Niki Noble said. “They want this, they know that they have a chance at being better than previous years. They see that, and they want to work for it.”

After opening the year with a loss to Republic, Soap Lake rattled off four straight wins over Easton, Thorp, Cascade Christian and Riverside Christian, only losing in one set over the four wins. Part of that early-season success stemmed from the team’s sophomores taking the mantle as the leaders on the teams, as much of the roster is composed of 10th graders.

“The freshmen from last year are continuing to improve as sophomores, they’re really taking on the leadership role,” Noble said.

Soap Lake’s streak of four wins in a row came to an end in a Sept. 28 game against Waterville-Mansfield, who stands atop the Central Washington B standings at 9-0 in league contests according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. While the game ended 3-1 in the Shockers’ favor, Noble said the match was closely contested.

“Waterville earned that win – we played really good volleyball,” Noble said. “I look forward to seeing them again, I hope we do (play them) in the district tournament.”

The Eagles were able to rally from the loss, stringing together wins over Wilson Creek (3-1), Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School (3-2), Pateros (3-0), Easton (3-1) and Tuesday’s win over Thorp. Strong on-court communication and a next-up mentality have led to the wins. Noble said the play of sophomores Mylee Dana and Liana Sushik has been a key for the Eagles during that stretch.

“We’ve had a few struggles, we’ve dropped a few sets that we shouldn’t have dropped,” Noble said. “They just have to come back from that, and mentally be ready for the next set. Sometimes that’s hard for teenage girls but they’re working really hard to maintain their composure and to be able to focus on the positive.”

With games against Riverside Christian and Entiat left on the schedule, the Eagles have a chance to earn one of the top seeds in the CWB district tournament later this month.

“Don’t get too overconfident, keep our drive to continue to improve and maintain a positive attitude during the games, even when things aren’t going in our favor,” Noble said of how the Eagles can maintain their momentum.

A strong performance in the district tournament could eventually lead to a berth in the 1B State Volleyball Tournament in November. While Soap Lake hasn’t made it to state in 32 years, the idea of making it to state isn’t one that’s talked about much among players.

“They haven’t said much about it; they really want to go, they really wanted to go last year,” Noble said. “They want to do well and take pride in that.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.