Knights ‘battle’ Wahluke for on-the-road win

MATTAWA – On Thursday, the Royal Knights went into enemy territory and defeated the Wahluke Warriors in a competitive 3-0 game. Knights head coach Lisa Lawrence said her team battled to the very end.   

“It was a battle, and we've got some things to work on and clean up, but the girls had a lot of heart and fought all the way through to the end. I'm really proud of them for just getting it done,” Lawrence said.   

In the first set, the Warriors started the game hot, jumping out to a 9-0 lead with Kathy Veloz leading off with the serves. However, once the Knights scored a point and began to serve the ball, they would erupt for 13 straight scores and take a 13-9 lead. From there, they would trade momentum shifts, but the Knights would never give up the lead. They won the set 25-21.   

In the second set, the two teams would trade leads, but the Knights would mostly hold it for longer. The Warriors would go on small scoring runs, but would be shut down before they could take any lead. The Knights won the second set 25-22.   

“We've been working a lot on just positive attitude and looking at the next play. They really did that today, they (didn’t) get discouraged from the get-go and kept battling,” Lawrence said.   

In the third set, the Warriors kept fighting against the Knights' attack. They continued to string together small spurts of scoring runs, but the Knights' defense proved to be too tough. The Knights had a strong presence at the net, blocking shots several times by the Warriors.   

“We've been working a lot on coverage at the net and blocking. Luckily, we've got some height on our side, and the girls worked hard up there,” Lawrence said.   

The Knights won the third set 25-20, and the game 3-0. Warriors Head Coach Monica Cortez said, despite the loss, she was proud of the way her team fought the whole game.   

“They're going out and they're playing hard and they're competing,” Cortez said. “One thing that I've been really proud about the girls this season so far is they're making teams earn their points. That's all I can ask for, is to just compete and to keep battling.”  

Cortez said the way they kept battling after losing the nine-point lead shows they have all the potential in the world. The Warriors' mental toughness has grown immensely over the last year. She feels last year's team would not have been able to bounce back after losing a lead like that, which shows how far they’ve come, she said.   

“We had a lot of buy-in over the summer. The girls that we have on varsity played in the off-season, they played together and we went to work in the weight room together. They've just done all the little things that it takes to build a program,” she said.   

Going forward, Cortez said she will continue to work on the teams serving. Her approach is that serving is more of an offensive move rather than something that kicks off a rally. She wants the Warriors to score off serves more often than just sending it over.   

For the Knights, Lawrence said Avarie Hill, Michelle Woodward and Madyn Smith stood out to her with their hitting throughout the game. With each set seeing high scoring from both teams, her hitters came up big for the Knights.   

Going forward, Lawrence and the Knights said they will continue taking their season one game at a time.   

“We've just taken it one game at a time, so this is a great win. We got a tournament in Ephrata on Saturday, so we can work on some stuff and polish some things and be back at league play next week,” Lawrence said.   

The Warriors and the Knights competed in the varsity tournament in Ephrata on Saturday. Full coverage and results will be in the Tuesday edition of the paper.   

The Warriors play at College Place on Sept. 23 with a start time of 6:30 p.m.  

The Knights resume league competition Tuesday when they host Zillah at 6:30 p.m.  

BOX SCORE:  

ROYL: 25-25-25: 3  
WHLK: 21-22-20: 0 

    The Wahluke Warriors’ Aliah Valencia prepares for the Knights next serve. The Warriors jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first set. Head Coach Monica Cortez said she is proud of how her team makes their opponents earn their points.
  

    The Knights’ Avarie Hill (7) hits the ball back over the net during a rally against the Wahluke Warriors. Head Coach Lisa Lawrence said Hill’s hitting was a key factor in their victory on Thursday.
  

    The Knights’ Evelyn Acencio-Beltran (4), Ava Lawrence (6) and Madyn Smith (3) celebrate after scoring a point against the Wahluke Warriors. Head Coach Lisa Lawrence said her team played with a lot of heart.
  

    The Knights’ bench cheers for their team after scoring a point against the Wahluke Warriors on Thursday. Head Coach Lisa Lawrence said their defense was strong at the net.
  

    The Wahluke Warriors’ Kathy Veloz (10) awaits the Knights next serve. Head Coach Monica Cortez said her team has shown growth in mental toughness and has done all of the little things necessary to build a program.