Lady Tigercats prepare for league competition, compete in Tacoma

The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Lady Tigercats spent the past week battling against competitors they will face later in the season during nonleague contests. The Lady Tigercats faced both Colton and Oakesdale, and began preparing for upcoming matches against the teams this season.

The LWK team first went on the road to face Colton on Sept. 19, and were short two athletes due to illness. Head Coach Sandy Martin said the team was missing starters Autumn Meyers and Jadyn Guske, both who serve as leaders for the varsity team.

The team relied on four freshmen athletes to fill the two roles, rotating positions throughout the match to provide the Lady Tigercats with the best opportunity to compete.

The LWK team lost the match in three sets: 20-25, 20-25, 8-25.

Martin said she is hopeful the team will be healthy when they face Colton in league competition, but given the situation, she believe the Lady Tigercats performed well.

While still not at full strength but on the road to recovery, the Lady Tigercats hosted Oakesdale with all players to compete in the nonleague match. Martin said the team played through the difficulties and had a solid performance on the court.

The team battled from the beginning of the match, but their effort fell short of earning the win. The Lady Tigercats lost the match in five sets: 25-22, 25-21, 16-25, 22-25, 10-15.

Martin said the team had an opportunity to try a new rotation, and it proved successful for the LWK team. The purpose of the rotation is to identify the Lady Tigercats’ strongest and most consistent passers, and then adjust to best utilize their skills.

Through the LWK team’s successes on the court, Martin said an ongoing battle is the struggle the team has when playing teams that rely on their defense.

She added it has been an issue for years, but they are still committed to remedying the issue to continue developing as a team.

Martin said the Lady Tigercats had great rallies throughout the evening, and the team had fun, which was evident when they were on the court.

The two teams will meet again in league competition in the upcoming weeks, and Martin said she does not intend on making many adjustments to the Lady Tigercats’ rotation.

Overall, she stated if the LWK team can play every match like they did against Oakesdale, they would finish in the top part of the league.

On Sept. 23, the Lady Tigercats competed in the Tacoma Tournament and gained valuable experience on the court. Though multiple athletes were still battling colds, Martin said the team was grateful for the opportunity to compete and watch the different classifications and level of play.

While the team placed in the bottom of their pool play bracket, Martin was impressed with how well the Lady Tigercats competed against the larger schools.

The team started the day against Federal Way, and lost the match in the first three sets. They moved on to face Sumner where they faced their second loss, but were able to take one set.

The Lady Tigercats then battled against Bremerton, winning another set, but eventually losing the match.

The loss moved the LWK team into a crossover match with Jefferson High School. The Lady Tigercats were able to keep competing, as they earned the tournament match win, 2-1.

After a long day, the Lady Tigercats played a final match against Spanaway Lake, where they suffered a loss.

Martin said she was proud of how the athletes competed and the way the positively represented the small schools at the tournament.

The Lady Tigercats moved on to play their first league match of the season against Touchet on Sept. 26. Martin said as long as the LWK team remains composed on the court, they should earn the league win.

The team then hosts Pomeroy in Washtucna on Sept. 28, with the match set to begin at 6 p.m.