Lady Braves earn A-plus grade at big net tourney

La Conner High brought its ‘A’ game — and then some — to a major invitational volleyball tournament in Wenatchee on Saturday.

The Lady Braves, fresh off a straight-sets win over league rival Orcas, placed fourth at Wenatchee in a field of 1A-4A net powers.

“It was a great tournament for us at this point of the season,” La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble said afterward. “It really gave us a chance to see where we are.”

And, for the most part, Marble liked what she saw.

La Conner, the only 2B program in the tourney field, won its pool by sweeping East Valley of Yakima, Sunnyside, and host Wenatchee, earning the third overall seed in the regular tournament round.

Selah, Cascade Leavenworth, and Chelan rounded out the tourney’s top four seeds.

The Lady Braves dropped two sets to Cascade by identical 25-13 margins in the opening session.

“They were really, really good,” Marble said of the defending 1A State champions. “We really didn’t have an answer for their offense. We had a tough time blocking, which in turn affected our defense.”

La Conner was edged 25-18 by Chelan in a single-set match to determine third and fourth place.

“It was a good effort,” said Marble. “We played more relaxed in this final set. Overall, it was a good thing to see what we need to work on both physically and mentally going forward.”

Marble was very encouraged by La Conner’s results in pool play.

The Lady Braves bested East Valley 25-21, 25-12. They defeated Sunnyside by double-digits, 25-12 and 25-10. La Conner then won two hard-fought, well-played sets opposite Wenatchee by 25-21, 25-23 counts.

La Conner’s depth and balance were strengths throughout the all-day tourney format.

Olivia Hedlund marshaled the Lady Braves attack with 63 assists. She also recorded 11 aces from the service stripe and extended volleys with 30 digs.

Emma Christianson likewise filled the stat sheet with 17 kills, eight blocks, and 31 digs.

Ashley Watkins, who enjoyed a stellar outing at Orcas, followed up with 14 kills, four blocks, and 12 digs in Wenatchee.

Kamea Luna and Heather Henriksen each finished in double figures at the net, finishing with 17 and 16 kills, respectively.

Luna also had four blocks, while Henriksen collected 29 digs — just two shy of the number compiled by her sister, Nicole.

Aubrey Swigert delivered eight aces and was a steady force on serve receive for the Lady Braves.

“Aubrey was a force off the bench and earned a lot of quality playing time,” Marble noted.

Watkins also made an impression, said Marble.

“She was on fire offensively at Orcas, and is really coming on strong and playing very smart,” Marble said of Watkins, just a sophomore.

Watkins matched Christianson with 11 kills against the Lady Vikings.

Christianson, meanwhile, added 17 digs at Orcas — as did Nicole Henriksen.

Luna rang up eight kills and served up three whiffs.

Hedlund again ignited the La Conner offense, distributing 35 assists and landing a half dozen service aces.

“We had a good night and didn’t let up as the match progressed,” Marble said of her club’s 25-0, 25-15, 25-6 win over the Lady Vikings.

La Conner returned from Eastern Washington this week to face a busy schedule.

The Lady Braves were scheduled at Cedar Park Christian on Monday before entertaining Shoreline Christian the following night.

La Conner hosts Friday Harbor tomorrow (Thursday) at 5 p.m., then enjoys a five-day break before Mount Vernon Christian comes to town on Oct. 21.

Next Tuesday’s Lady Braves-Lady Hurricanes match at Landy James Gym is set to get underway at 6:30 p.m.