Naselle makes two-set comeback versus Valley

Despite falling 17-25 and 22-25 in their first two sets last Tuesday (Sept. 16), the Naselle girls volleyball responded in three straight sets (26-24, 25-23, 15-12) to defeat Valley. “We had a rough start, but our girls never gave up,” said Coach Rebekah Wirkkala. “They persevered and they made necessary adjustments to take the victory. Switching it up from tipping to putting it away-our girls played with experience and composure. They truly played as a team, and it was so fun to see them show themselves they can come back, point by point, to victory.”

The girls were led by Jessie Smith, who had a team high 29 assists and six aces. Sophia Colombo led the team in digs with 27, while Mylee Dunagan led with 13 kills and five blocks. Haylee Rose also contributed in the comeback win with 11 kills, and Brooke Davis finished with 20 digs and eight kills.

The girls would not need a two-set comeback on Thursday, Sept. 18, defeating Elma’s Mary M. Knight in a sweep (25-9, 25-15, 25-15). Smith led the team in both aces with six and assists with 17. Rose led the team with eight kills and had the lone block for the girls. Colombo led the team with nine digs. Maddie Dielman had five assists to round out the offense. “The girls came out and did their job, sweeping MMK in three sets,” said Assistant Coach Hanna Higginbotham. “They served 90.4 percent, allowing for the bench to get moments in the game. [I’m] so proud of them.”