La Conner High net foes show true colors

Both league net teams La Conner High faced last week wore purple-and-gold as the matches unfolded.

But, by night’s end, Friday Harbor and Concrete each sported more of a black-and-blue look.

That’s because the Lady Braves uncorked a potent one-two punch in flooring both NW2B rivals in straight sets.

La Conner downed Friday Harbor 25-16, 25-17, 25-15. The Lady Braves hammered Concrete 25-4, 25-4, 25-10.

With the twin wins, La Conner improved to 6-1 overall and have defeated three straight conference opponents.

La Conner’s effort against Friday Harbor was nothing short of a knockout.

“It was definitely a good night for us offensively,” Lady Braves head coach Suzanne Marble said afterward. “We started strong and didn’t let up through the three sets.”

Olivia Hedlund jump-started the La Conner attack with a season-high 39 assists, while adding three kills.

“Friday Harbor had a tough time with our offense,” said Marble. “We played smart and really worked hard on placing the ball instead of just going up swinging and making errors.”

As has been the case much of the campaign, La Conner benefitted from roster depth that allowed the Lady Braves to excel both offensively and defensively.

The entire La Conner lineup joined Hedlund in keeping Friday Harbor on the ropes.

Emma Christianson delivered 12 kills and 10 digs for the victors, with Ashley Watkins chipping in nine kills of her own.

Kamea Luna was likewise a force at the net, matching Watkins with nine kills.

Heather Henriksen and LeAnne Swan recorded a half dozen kills apiece, with Henriksen also collecting 11 digs.

Nicole Henriksen paced the La Conner defense with 28 digs.

Marble was pleased with how the Lady Braves never let up after bolting to an early lead.

“I was pleased with the outcome,” she said, “and how we kept the momentum on our side.”

It was pretty much the same story when La Conner squared off against Concrete.

“We seized momentum in the first set,” said Marble, “and didn’t let up as the match progressed.”

The Lady Braves were especially tough from the service line.

La Conner rang up 13 aces on the night, setting a dominant tone from the get-go.

Hedlund served five of those whiffs, and was perfect on 22 attempts behind the stripe.

She again orchestrated the Lady Braves offense, accounting for a team-best 27 assists.

Christianson turned in yet another versatile performance, contributing nine kills and the same number of digs.

Watkins filled the stat sheet with five kills, two aces, and six digs.

Ditto Aubrey Swigert, who continued her stellar play of late with three kills, an ace, and a flawless serve game.

Nicole Henriksen, as was the case against Friday Harbor, landed in double figures in the digs column. She finished with 10.

Elizabeth Tripp had four digs for La Conner as the Lady Braves repeatedly extended volleys, thwarting the Concrete attack.

La Conner faces a busy slate this week, starting with a trip tomorrow (Thursday) to Orcas for a matinee match with the Lady Vikings, starting at 2 p.m.

The Lady Braves travel to Wenatchee on Saturday for a major invitational tourney, then crank up the bus for an Oct. 13 road trip to Cedar Park Christian.

La Conner returns to Landy James Gymnasium Oct. 14 for a home date opposite Shoreline Christian. Start time for that match is 6:30 p.m.