Lady Braves net big gains at Yakima tourney

Home sweet dome.

That’s the atmosphere the La Conner High volleyball team has come to expect from its frequent visits to the Yakima Sun Dome.

Last weekend was no exception.

The Lady Braves returned from the site of many of the program’s biggest triumphs having won invaluable confidence going forward as result of placing in the Top 12 of a hyper-competitive early season tournament.

The Yakima bracket featured teams from the 2A through 4A ranks in addition to La Conner, which placed second in the 2B State tourney at Yakima last November.

“It was a great test for us to see where we need to go,” said Lady Braves head coach Suzanne Marble, who has guided La Conner to three State crowns during her tenure here, and was inducted into the Washington State Coaches’ Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Yakima a year ago.

La Conner defeated Oak Harbor and split with Eastmont to highlight the Lady Braves’ latest visit to Yakima.

“It was a great weekend of learning and trying new things,” Marble noted. “It was great preparation for our players.”

The Lady Braves placed second in their pool, in large measure due to La Conner’s straight-sets – 25-19 and 25-19 – victory over Oak Harbor.

La Conner barely missed out on its pool’s top seed with a tight 21-25, 21-25 loss to Selah.

Marble had no complaints.

“It was a great match,” she said.

Ditto a tourney pairing opposite Steilacoom, a narrow 19-25, 23-25 defeat for the Lady Braves.

“It was a match that was up for grabs,” said Marble. “The winner was the one with the most gas left in the tank, and we got a little tired.”

Which was understandable, given that La Conner was coming off a grueling five-set win over 2A Anacortes and NW2B sweeps of Darrington, Shoreline Christian, and Orcas in the days leading up to the Yakima trip.

La Conner also played well Saturday in a hard-fought tournament setback to East Valley of Yakima.

“We took complete control in the first set,” Marble said, alluding to a fast 25-13 La Conner start. “But after that we just lost a little confidence.”

East Valley closed out the match in 25-23, 15-9 fashion.

The Lady Braves, as the stat sheet indicates, used the Yakima visit to experiment with different looks and provide quality playing time up and down the La Conner roster.

Justine Benson finished with 75 assists, 24 digs, 11 kills, six service aces, and three blocks.

Lindsay Lowry delivered 10 kills and three aces, while Aubrey Swigert had both a strong day at the net and with floor coverage, totaling 27 digs, 18 kills, 12 blocks, and five aces.

Matty Lagerwey chipped in 30 kills, 26 digs, four blocks, and three aces.

Ashley Watkins added 31 digs, 17 kills, five aces, and four blocks at Yakima.

Defensive specialist Sage Burgmeier had 35 digs.

As fulfilling as was La Conner’s performance at Yakima, it was the epic win earlier in the week over Anacortes that had Lady Braves fans buzzing.

La Conner prevailed 25-17, 17-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-12 over the Lady Seahawks.

Watkins and Lagerwey registered 11 kills apiece for the hosts. Swigert added another eight kills to go along with four aces and a pair of blocks.

Benson dished out 31 assists, plus chipped in three kills and two service whiffs.

Burgmeier notched 27 digs.

“Anacortes kept coming back,” said Marble, “and we stepped up at the right times. We were down 4-0 in the fifth set and we could’ve given in to them, but our players battled back to take control.”

Everybody played a part, she said.

“Matty and Aubrey really stepped up as middles and took control in the front row,” Marble said. “They connected well with Justine. Sage did a nice job of controlling the tempo of the defense.”

It helped to have plenty of fans in La Conner’s corner, Marble stressed.

“It was our Youth Appreciation Match and we had about 40 fifth through eighth grade players in the crowd,” she said. “It was a great match for our fans to watch and we had great fan support. I’m so proud of our community.”

As it is proud of the Lady Braves.

In related notes:

• La Conner visited Mount Vernon Christian late Tuesday and travels tomorrow, Thursday, to Concrete. The Lady Braves remain on the road next Tuesday, Sept. 27, for a big non-league match against 4A Woodinville.

• Marble called La Conner’s 25-9, 25-7, 25-8 verdict over Orcas a total team effort. Among the highlights were three kills and two aces from Madison Wilson, four kills by Joanie Benson, and Jayna Whited’s five kills and two aces.