» Volleyball team works for playoffs

By Steve McCasland
Sports editor
Thursday, October 01, 2009 | No comments posted. The Bandon High School varsity volleyball team was scheduled to put its 2-2 Sunset Conference record on the line at Reedsport on Tuesday.

Bandon is scheduled to play at Coquille today, then will host Glide on Oct. 5 before traveling to Gold Beach on Oct. 7. Junior varsity action begins at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity at 6:30.

The Tiger squad has been battling illness since last week.

“It’s tough playing three out of four games on the road,” coach Courtney Freitag said on Monday after six players missed practice due to illness. “We hope the girls will get to feeling better and show up with their ‘A’ games this week. Even if you’re not feeling stellar, you have to show up and give it 110 percent. That’s our intent and we’ll keep our fingers crossed. I think they’ll pull it together.”

Bandon defeated Rogue River at home on Sept. 24 after losing at Cascade Christian on Sept. 22.

Defeat Rogue River Bandon dropped the opening game then won three straight to win the match over the visiting Chieftains. Scores were 23-25, 25-14, 25-17, 25-18.

“You’ve got to give it to Rogue River,”  Freitag said. “They played well, while we were pretty sloppy. It just wasn’t a great night for us. But we’ll take the win.”

Tiger stats: Grace Garrett, 24 kills, 11 digs; Karli Crook, 14 kills, 8 digs, 2 aces; Kelsey Hinojosa, 39 assists, 4 aces, 2 kills; Marissa Ramos, 27 digs; Jennifer Torres, 4 digs, 3 kills, 2 blocks, 2 aces.

Loss at Cascade Christian

The Tigers traveled to the Rogue Valley on Sept. 22 and dropped a four-game match to Cascade Christian in 100-degree heat. Scores were 25-11, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18.

“Cascade Christian is always tough,” the coach said. “We were super lethargic at the start, but I thought we hung in there pretty well after we got warmed up. I think that if we bring our ‘A’ game when they come to play here, we’ll have a good shot at beating them. We’ve got the talent and I definitely think we’ve got a chance if we keep our focus.” Tiger stats: Garrett, 23 kills, 6 digs; Karli Crook, 19 digs, 5 kills; Kacy Crook, 9 digs, 3 kills; Hinojosa, 26 assists; Ramos, 18 digs.

North Douglas Tournament

Bandon played in an eight-team non-league tourney at North Douglas on Sept. 26, losing to the home team in the semi-finals.

“The skill level in this tournament wasn’t where we want to be, but we made it to the semis despite battling the bug,” Freitag said.

Two of the Tigers’ varsity players stayed home sick, allowing some of the JV girls to get some valuable tournament experience.

“Those younger players did a great job,” the coach said.

Season outlook

She went on to discuss the Tigers’ “up and down” play so far this season.

“We played phenomenally in our first two games against Myrtle Point (before losing three straight), and we played very well in our last three games against Rogue River. I think we’re capable of having a very good season. We just have to want it more than the other team.

“The killer instinct needs to kick in and be automatic. Our captains, Kelsey (Hinojosa) and Karli (Crook), need to step up and help us with that. Everyone has to be on the same page with that ‘take no prisoners’ attitude. We’re working on it.

“We’re at .500 now in terms of winning percentage, and the more wins we get under our belt, the better off we’ll be. I expect that once we get a couple more wins, the girls will start envisioning being in the league playoffs. All the players have that as a goal. We’ll just keep working, adding wins and, hopefully, building our confidence level.”