Mavs earn home win over Ike

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks volleyball team (4-3) got back on track with a 3-1 home win over Eisenhower on Tuesday night. 

“I think this just gave us some confidence back and just made us realize that this is how we should be playing every game,” said Mavs player Madison Witwer. “I think we came out thinking that we refined some things that we’ve been wanting to work on.” 

The night started off slow for the Mavs as they struggled to find their flow in the first set. Despite their efforts, Ike took the 25-14 victory and the Mavs sought to get back into the game. 

“After the first set, we got a good stern talking to from our coach,” said Addison Burns from the Mavs. “We came together and we just decided that we needed to just crush their confidence and we need to just give it all we got.” 

With a new game plan in mind, the Mavs came back in full force, completely dominating Ike in the second set to win 25-10. The next few sets would come much closer with the two teams staying neck and neck for the most part, but ultimately the Mavs would come out on top to defeat Ike 3-1. 

This was a significant win for the Mavs as they were coming off a three-game losing streak. Witwer said it was important for the team to take control of the situation following their struggles in the first set and their success was thanks to the coverage being done by the liberos and the back row. 

“I think we’ve been struggling with our coverage, but tonight that was a big thing that kept us in the game and kept us up,” she said.  

Burns said the biggest lesson for the Mavs is that they need to start off every game strong. 

“We need to give it all we have in the beginning rather than having to come back like that after digging a hole,” she said.”  

Mavs head coach Krystal Trammell said that the team was anticipating a tough matchup that night. While the Mavs had a rough first set, the team still did everything that they needed to do to earn the victory and every one of the Mavs players contributed to their victory.  

“Every time on the court this year with league, anyone can beat anyone, and so it’s what team is on that evening,” said Trammell.  

Both the Mavs players and Trammell agreed that one thing that the team will need to work on moving forward is their serves and serve-receive. Trammell said the team is going to be watching films and learning the tendencies of certain players, trying to adjust to that and overall preparing mentally. 

As the Mavs head into the halfway point of the season, Trammell said it is time for the team to start knocking off its opponents to clear the way for the postseason.  

“Don’t overlook anyone,” she said. “It’s time to start knocking off for placement in districts.” 

The Mavs’ next game will be on the road Thursday as they face Eastmont at 6:30 p.m. 

BOX SCORE: 

MLHS: 14-25-25-25: 3
EISN: 25-10-21-20: 1 

    Mavs player Allison Bond sets the ball for one of her teammates to go for the spike during the first set against Eisenhower. While the team struggled in the first set, they quickly rebounded to earn the victory.
  

    Mavs senior Caitlin Decubber gets ready to send the ball back over the net during Tuesday’s game against Eisenhower. The team’s strongest defensive performance came during the second set where they won 25-10.
  

    Madison Witwer from the Mavs gets ready to serve the ball to Eisenhower during the fourth set of the night. Witwer said Tuesday’s win gave the team some renewed confidence in themselves.
  

    Alivia Dehoog from the Mavs serves the ball during the first set against Eisenhower. Head coach Krystal Trammell said the team is going to start setting their sights on knocking off opponents as playoffs approach.
  

    Mavs player Ava Garbe prepares for a serve during Tuesday’s Pink Night game against Eisenhower. Head coach Krystal Trammell said their victory over Ike was a full team effort on both offense and defense.