Huskies earn three set victory over Jacks

MOSES LAKE — The Othello Huskies (2-4) earned a victory on the road Thursday against the Quincy Jackrabbits (0-7) where they won in three sets. Both teams look to use this game as a learning experience to boost their skills moving forward. 

"(The Huskies) came out really strong with a lot of energy, which is something we've been really working on," said Huskies Head Coach Isabella Hollibaugh. "This was a great game for us to get some of our confidence back and continue seeing all the things we're working on start to come together on the court." 

The Huskies got up early on the Jacks in the first set, but both teams remained competitive throughout. Though Quincy battled hard, Othello claimed the first set by six points.

Othello had high energy entering the second set where they built a significant lead early on. Quincy found some momentum later in the set but couldn't cut the point deficit leading to a 25-12 Huskies victory. 

In the third set, the Jacks turned things around and gained the lead over the Huskies early on. Othello closed the gap and the two squads traded leads throughout the set. 

As the Huskies went up 24-22, the Jacks found an opening to score and got up to 23-24, with a chance to tie the game. The following play ended up going in favor of Othello, and the Huskies won 25-23 to claim a three-set victory. 

Hollibaugh said Othello's energy and ability to start strong against Quincy was the key to their victory Thursday. 

"We've really struggled the past few games just being able to come out swinging right from the gate," she said. "I'm super proud of them for coming, staying high with their energy and playing throughout the game." 

The Huskies showed improvement in their abilities to make strategic ball placement throughout the night. The Othello coach said moments where this happened showed their high coachability in real time. 

One moment came when the team was down by six points in the third set. She said the Huskies dug in deep and rallied to win the set and close out the game. 

"The fact they were able to come back and earn that set means a lot to me," said Hollibaugh. "It shows them that they can do it and they can keep fighting if they really believe in themselves." 

As the Huskies continue pushing forward with their season, she said the focus is going to be continuing to build team confidence and come out strong from the beginning. 

"When they play confident and they have the mindset that we're going to win, we can do really good things," said Hollibaugh. 

Even with a loss following the matchup against Othello, Jacks Head Coach Chelsea Wallace said Thursday's game served as a good pick me up after a tough loss to Grandview the game prior. 

"We came out from Tuesday feeling pretty defeated," said Wallace. "We had a really good practice Wednesday, we said that was going to be kind of a reset. Even though we didn't win today, there were a lot of wins that did happen on the court." 

The third set in particular showed how relentless Quincy can be when they maximize their potential. This was made possible following their Wednesday practice where the Jacks coach said the team made a lot of commitments to hold each other accountable on the court.

Another aspect of the game where the Jacks did well was utilizing their home court advantage, the coach said. 

"We talked about that this is our gym, this is our home, we're going to be louder than our opponents," said Wallace. "We had some really good support up in the stands (Thursday) and when you have that energy backing you, it transfers out on the court." 

The Jacks coach said she wants the players to continue battling like they did Thursday and build on their defensive strategies heading deeper into the season. Quincy had an opportunity to work on these strategies further as they hosted a volleyball tournament Saturday morning.  

"It gives us a lot of opportunities just to work through the kinks that we've been seeing," said Wallace. "It gives us a lot of touches on the ball and the more touches we get the better performance we have and that's really great preparation (for) some tough opponents." 

The Jacks head on the road Tuesday to face Ellensburg at 6:30 p.m. The Huskies return home Tuesday to host Selah at 6 p.m.  

BOX SCORE  

OTHL: 25-25-25: 3 

QNCY: 19-12-23: 0

    Emma DeTray, a junior from the Jacks, prepares to set the ball for her teammates against the Huskies Thursday.
  

    Tekay Tran, a junior from Othello, dips low to hit the ball back up while her teammate Hazel Roylance, a senior, keeps an eye on the play.
  

    Quincy senior Valeria Navarro steps up to serve against Othello during Thursday's home game.
  

    Othello's Jena DeLeon, a sophomore, responds to a hit from Quincy while her teammate Tekay Tran, a junior, watches from the back of the court.
  

    Jacks junior Karlee Weber hits the ball back over the net while head coach Chelsea Wallace watches on.