Lady T-cats begin season with nonleague competition

The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Lady Tigercats have started the season strong, with nonleague competitions against upcoming league opponents and multiple tournaments.

The team began September by hosting the Kahlotus Jamboree where they played four teams over the course of one day. The Lady Tigercats recorded three wins and a single loss during the tournament, falling only to Waitsburg while defeating Prescott, Tri-Cities Prep and Connell’s junior varsity squad.

Head Coach Sandy Martin said while the team had areas of difficulty during the tournament, they also excelled in other aspects of the game. Overall, the Lady Tigercats were inconsistent from the serving stripe, and Martin said it is the area the team needs to improve on the most.

The team played solid defense and had a good day of passing, Martin said. The digs allowed the team to set up solid hits and remain competitive against their opponents.

Autumn Meyers led the team with 94 percent serving for the day. Senior Jazzmyn Gordon led the Lady Tigercats in digs.

For the first match of the season, the Lady Tigercats went on the road on Sept. 5 to face Tekoa-Rosalia in a nonleague match. With the quick turnaround time out of the jamboree, Martin said there was not time to make many adjustments in rotation, but did change the roles of two athletes.

With a slow start to the match, TR jumped out to an early lead by claiming the first two sets. The Lady Tigercats battled back and were able to win the match: 19-25, 26-28, 25-7, 25-10, 15-10.

Martin said the team had too many unforced errors and dropped balls because of a lack of communication. The Lady Tigercats are focused on improving communication this season in order to help improve their chances of making it into postseason competition.

Alynn Harder had a perfect night from the serving stripe, and also racked up five aces and 15 assists. Gordon continued to be a consistent passer for the team and also dominated the net with 15 kills.

Jadyn Guske led the team in digs with 17, and had three blocks.

Coming off of the win, the Lady Tigercats hosted Prescott on Sept. 12 in another nonleague competition. The two teams will meet again later in the season, but in a league match.

The LWK team remained competitive throughout the match, but eventually suffered a loss. The two teams battled until the end of each set, pushing most into extra point sets: 24-26, 25-18, 27-29, 23-25.

Martin explained Prescott is an unorthodox team and also a very tough competitor. What the team lacks in height, Martin said they make up for in speed and hustle.

Because of the lack of height, the Prescott team played solid and cohesive defense with all of their athletes off the net ready to dig the hits.

The defensive strategy also took away the Lady Tigercats’ tipping game and forced them to focus on ball placement.

Martin said Prescott also thrives at pushing the ball to the back corners of the court, and the Lady Tigercats had difficulty adapting to the hits.

“Prescott is a team you have to learn to play,” Martin explained. “We have adjusted our defense since our first match with them, and are much better prepared to play them in league.”

During the match, Gordon continued to serve as a leader for the team. She recorded 15 kills, served 95 percent with eight aces and also had 15 digs.

Harder had a consistent game for the Lady Tigercats and served not only as a main passer, but she also led the team in assists with 17.

The Lady Tigercats returned to the court on Sept. 14 to host St. John-Endicott. The LWK team fell in three sets to the Lady Eagles: 20-25, 20-25, 15-25.

Martin said the match went as expected, because after the Prescott game, the team completely changed the line-up. The Lady Tigercats only had a minimal amount of time to prepare in the new rotation before facing the SJE team.

While the athletes adapted well, Martin said she could tell they were still uncomfortable with their positions. The confusion allowed for more mental errors than usual and created uncertainty on the court.

Gordon continued to serve as the team’s all-around player, racking up the most digs and hits on the night, while Harder provided consistency from the setter’s position.

Martin is optimistic the Lady Tigercats will be better prepared and play as a more cohesive unit when the two teams match up again in league competition.

The Lady Tigercats rounded out their preseason contests at the Spikefest Tournament in Rosalia on Sept. 16. The team played their opponents in two sets to 25 points for the pool play.

The team split their first match of the day against Asotin, with scores of 22-25 and 25-23. They moved on to face TR, where they recorded their first win of the tournament: 25-22, 25-14.

As the Lady Tigercats moved on in the tournament, they played Kootenai and split the match 25-12 and 26-27. The final match of the day was played against Prescott, and the team made adjustments to in the match 25-13 and 25-22.

The Lady Tigercats won their pool and moved on to play Liberty, where they lost in two sets: 20-25, 19-25.

For the day, Guske had 10 aces, and Gordon recorded 19 kills and seven blocks. Harder served 94 percent, and had 20 assists and nine aces.

Martin said the tournament made for a great day for the Lady Tigercats. They were able to work on the newer rotation in order for the team to be comfortable and prepared to face Colton on Tuesday.