Lady Cougar volleyball hosts Feather River
The Feather River Golden Eagles swooped into the Cougar den Wednesday, Oct. 24 for a game of volleyball. After three matches full of intense plays, fast digs and loud cheers, the Golden Eagles flew back home with the 3-0 win.
The Feather River ladies were clearly on top of their game from the get-go as the matches ended with scores of 25-14, 25-13 and 25-13, respectively.
In the first match, Feather River initiated the battle with a 5-0 lead. However, hope was yet to be lost among the Lady Cougars. A spike by Keelin Pilgrim gave Lassen their second point and thus provided the oomph needed to get the Cougars back in the game.
The Cougars definitely started out in trouble, but as the game warmed up, so did they.
Rosario Medina doesn’t hesitate to throw the Golden Eagles off by tipping the ball at the home game Wednesday, Oct. 25. Photo by Ashley GroganKoral Hearn made Lassen’s fifth point courtesy of a spike. Soon afterward, Trinity Porter earned point six with a spike that shot to the ground after the Golden Eagles attempted to block.
Rosario Medina blocked a Golden Eagle spike to delay their 13th point and thus sent the ball to Lassen’s server with 12-8 on the board.
A tip by Pilgrim then gave hope for a win back to the Cougars as the score showed 14-10, but the Feather River ladies were sure to prevent the hope from surviving long.
Hearn hit the ball directly to an open spot on the court to earn Lassen’s 12th point, but the 19-12 score quickly turned to 25-14 and thus initiated the second match.
Match two started with an out-of0-bounds serve by Feather River to give Lassen the head start.
Medina then granted the Cougars a 2-0 lead with a tip that gave the crowd something to cheer about.
Jill Smith delivered a spike that overcame the attempted Golden Eagle block to earn third Lady Cougar point, and she later delivered a spike that couldn’t be returned to earn point seven.
Lassen stayed in the lead with 7-6 on the board from Smith’s spike, but the Golden Eagles couldn’t let the Lassen spirit last for long.
Though Feather River stole the lead soon after, Lassen kept the Golden Eagles on a fairly short leash with scores of 7-7 and 11-9, Feather River, on the board. However, once the Golden Eagles entered the double-digits, there was no stopping them.
The match was called with a 25-13 Feather River score.
In the third match, Hearn was first to earn a point with a spike to Feather River feet.
A block from Hearn and Pilgrim brought the Lassen lead to 2-1.
Then, after an intense bout of volleys, Feather River hit the ball out of bounds to give Lassen their fourth point; the score was 4-2, Lassen.
A block by Smith brought the Lady Cougars up to six points, but by this time, Feather River’s point tally had reached 10.
After entering double-digits, Feather River became more successful with their sets and spikes. They continually aimed at the feet of both Pilgrim and Kendall Dummer. While both Lady Cougars were quick enough to recover the ball, the immense power from the spike caused the ball to ricochet to one of the far corners of the court, thus making a second Cougar hit nearly impossible. With this tactic, the Golden Eagles gained points at an exponential rate.
Gabi Geoia was up to serve with Lassen’s ninth point on the line. With an unreturnable hit over the net, the score was adjusted to 14-9, Feather River.
Then, after a double-hit by a Golden Eagle, the Cougars joined their opponents in the double-digits.
With the Cougar threat looming, Feather River stepped on it to gain a greater lead. However, a tip by Hearn managed to throw the Golden Eagles off of their groove and thus brought the score to 18-11, Feather River.
Unfortunately, Lassen’s success seemed to halt after Hearn’s tip. From there, it wasn’t long before 25-13 showed on the board to favor the Golden Eagles and thus win the game.
During the three-match game, Hearn led the Lady Cougars in kills with a total of eight. Geoia led in digs with 10. Hearn, Medina and Smith each had one solo block.
Prior to the game against Feather River, Lassen traveled to Shasta Thursday, Oct. 19 where they lost 3-1.
While at Shasta, the Lady Cougars started off strong with a 25-22 win in the first match. However, matches two through four were not as successful as Lassen lost with scores of 25-8, 25-20 and 25-7, respectively.
The next game for the Lady Cougars will be Thursday, Nov. 2 at home against College of the Redwoods.
