Mission clinches No. 2 seed for district tournament, gives

powerhouse Florence a scare

ST. IGNATIUS - Mission clinched the No. 2 seed for this week's 6-B district tournament in Florence after splitting last weekend against conference foes Ronan and Florence. The Lady Bulldogs will be going into the postseason with a 4-4 league record to go along with a 9-9 mark overall.

The Lady Bulldogs started the week off on Tuesday, Oct. 18, with a 3-0 victory over Mission Valley rival Ronan. Mission jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two 25-13 victories before finishing the match off with a closer 25-20 victory over the Maidens.

"Ronan was down a few players so we had a definite edge there. I think the biggest difference is my offense," Mission head coach Kendal Anderson said. "I have strong hitters in the front during all rotations and that leaves us with a lot of options that some teams don't have."

Jen Larsson, who has been an offensive force for the Lady Bulldogs all season, collected eight kills in the match while Stephanie Lewandowski had 13 digs and Loren Erickson collected 13 assists.

The Lady Bulldogs had almost double the amount of kills as Ronan (29-15). Last Thursday, Mission had a tall task against conference-leading Florence, who finished the regular season with a 15-1 record, but they certainly didn't back down.

It took a miracle Florence rally from a 2-0 deficit to down the Lady Bulldogs 3-2 in a match that is sure to be one of the most memorable of the season.

"I was so proud of my girls in that game," Anderson said. "We were definitely playing to win. I think it boosted our confidence and hopefully that will carry on into tournaments."

Mission took the first game 25-21 after they jumped out to an 18-13 lead and never looked back. In the second game, the Lady Bulldogs broke a 14-14 tie with an 11-3 run to win it.

Florence bounced back in the third game, winning 25-11. However, Mission wasn't deterred and came out to battle in the fourth game.

It was tied or within one point for nearly the entire game. Both squads saw plenty of switches in momentum and it was the Falcons that were able to come away with the 28-26 victory.

In the fifth game, Mission was trailing by only one point at 7-6, but Florence came away with the 15-11 win for the match.

"I give my back row a lot of credit for the way they have been playing," Anderson said. "They are reading the hitters well and adjusting to get to the ball. I have been very impressed with them, especially Sydney Allard and Stephanie Lewandowski."

Sara Nerby led the team with a whopping 20 kills and five blocks. Meanwhile, on defense, Allard had 27 digs. Erickson had 18 assists. Sarah Bowers also had 17 assists.

"Sara has grown so much this season," Anderson said. "She is really seeing the floor well and making really smart plays. My next closest kill leader had six kills. Normally my top two are within two-three kills of each other. If we can get all of the girls firing, we'll see a lot more success."

Mission plays down in Florence this weekend for the 6-B district tournament.

"We are right where we want to be right now," Anderson said. "We are playing better than we have all season and I hope this will give the girls confidence and momentum for the postseason play."