Soap Lake stuns Waterville-Mansfield in five-set thriller

SOAP LAKE – The Soap Lake Eagles (8-3) earned a statement victory over the Waterville-Mansfield Shockers on Monday night on their fifth straight weekday of games. This win was significant as it was not only their sixth straight win, but it was the team’s first victory over the Shockers. 

“We’ve never beaten them in the four years I’ve played on this team,” said Eagles senior Mylee Dana. “They’ve always had some strong players, and we’ve just had a great season, being able to work together and use each other’s strengths, and we ended up coming up and just using all that to beat them today.” 

Monday’s matchup was a close battle from the start, with both teams going back and forth in the first set and ending that with a final score of 23-25 in favor of the Shockers. The Eagles turned it around in the second set and earned themselves a 25-22 victory to tie the game at 1-1. 

The Shockers regained the advantage in the third set, earning another victory and putting them on the verge of taking the game in the fourth set. The Eagles rallied to carry the game to a 30-28 victory to tie the game once again at 2-2.  

The final set would be to 15 rather than 25, and once again, the two teams remained on each other’s heels throughout. The teams were then tied at 15 toward the end of the set, but the Eagles pulled ahead to win 17-15. This victory now puts the Eagles in the running for the top spot in the Central Washington B League. 

“I feel like we worked our butts off, and I think we came together as one finally,” said Eagles senior Sage Hart.  

Dana said that during the last few games, the Eagles had been experimenting with playing in different positions, with Monday’s setup having great success for the team. 

“We actually switched around some players and found out what works best for everybody, and that’s what we’ve been working on for the games coming into the postseason,” she said. 

Eagles head coach Niki Noble said she was confident going into Monday’s matchup that they could win if they played at their best. She said that this was also her first time beating Waterville-Mansfield in her six years of coaching the Eagles. 

“It was intense and I just kept telling them, ‘We have to fight for it, and you have to make sure that we are playing smart,’ and that’s the biggest thing we’ve been really working on,” said Noble.  

The Eagles have played a game every weekday since last Tuesday, with their first game being at home against Garden City Academy. The next day was another home game against Wilson Creek, followed by two away games against Thorp and Entiat. The Eagles won each of these games and including their win against Wilson Creek on Oct. 1 were then set to win their sixth straight against the top team in Waterville-Mansfield. 

“We were super nervous for this, but it’s amazing that we finally came to the end of it,” said Hart. 

The Eagles maintained their momentum throughout each game, even leading into Monday’s matchup. Noble said this all showed the team’s ability to never give up no matter what the odds are. 

“I was a little worried that we would be exhausted by playing Entiat on Friday and then playing Waterville,” she said. “But these girls showed their endurance and that they were able to come out with the win.” 

This week, the Eagles will have four straight practice days after not having a practice since last Monday. Noble said the team is going to use this time to work on tip coverage, serving, and hitting the ball offensively. 

“You have to work hard even when you think it’s going to be easy,” said Dana. 

The Eagles’ next game will be their senior night at home against the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Christian Covenant School Lions on Tuesday at 6 p.m. 

BOX SCORE:  

SPLK: 23-25-18-30-17: 3
WTRV: 25-22-25-28-15: 2 

    Eagles senior Sage Hart runs toward the middle of the court following her serve during Monday’s game. Hart said the long week of games had her nervous coming into Monday’s matchup against Waterville-Mansfield, but the team came together to earn the victory.
  

    Eagles senior Liana Sushik goes for the kill during Monday’s matchup against Waterville-Mansfield. This game marked the Eagles sixth straight win this season.
  

    Marina Zubritskiy from the Eagles dives to hit the ball over the net during the game against Waterville-Mansfield. This week the Eagles will have their first practice since last Monday.
  

    Brooke Dana, a senior with the Eagles, responds to a serve from Waterville-Mansfield during Monday’s game. Head coach Niki Noble said the Eagles have displayed a ‘never give up’ attitude this season, which has led to their success.