WILSON CREEK — The Wilson Creek Devils got into the win column for the first time in 2023 on Tuesday night, defeating Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School in three sets on their home court.

“Sometimes when you get a win under your belt you can get some momentum to get going with the season,” Wilson Creek Head Coach Christa Christopherson said. “I feel like last year we were playing well but weren’t necessarily winning a lot of games, so I think it was hard for them to get that momentum to finish out sets and win versus playing well.”

After the Devils and Lions were tied at two in the first set, back-to-back aces by Wilson Creek junior Cassie Hinen pushed the lead in favor of Wilson Creek, a lead the Devils held throughout the remainder of the first set. Wilson Creek took a 1-0 lead after a 25-13 set win.

“It was the girls coming ready – especially the first set, they came ready to play and intense,” Christopherson said. “A lot of effort, and were intense and wanted to do well.”

The Lions’ new-look team held strong through the early points of the second set on Tuesday night, but after the Devils took an 8-7 lead the home team never looked back in set two, eventually winning 25-20.

“It’s them getting more comfortable,” MLCA/CCS head coach Dean Spurbeck said. “It’s learning, and once they get learning, stuff will happen.”

MLCA/CCS jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third set, with the two squads trading blows leading up to a tie at 13. The Lions grabbed the first point out of the tie, but the Devils rallied to outscore the Lions 12-3 down the stretch. Wilson Creek senior Lucia Maseras aced on three of her four serves to close out the game.

“Regardless of the team that you play, you still have to earn every point that you play,” Christopherson said. “You can’t just expect to go out there, go through the motions and still win. You have to play your best volleyball, earn every single point up to 25. If you don’t do that, that’s when teams can creep back up on you.”

The win was Wilson Creek’s first of the season, coming off a 3-0 loss to Waterville/Mansfield last week. The Devils travel to Riverside Christian on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m.

“They played really well versus Waterville, and I think it came down to a little miscommunication and first-game jitters,” Christopherson said. “Those three matches, the last two were pretty close. They played well, just couldn’t finish out the last five or so points.”

For the Lions, who are refilling numerous spaces from last year's state tournament-qualifying team, Spurbeck said it comes down to consistency. After Wednesday’s road game against Entiat, MLCA/CCS hosts Sunnyside Christian on Monday at 6:15 p.m.

“Just a little bit more consistency,” Spurbeck said. “I was happy with what they did as far as they got better. A couple of my older girls, they stepped up and covered some stuff and helped the younger ones out. As they get more comfortable it’ll be less on them, but it makes them more aggressive too.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box score

Lions: 13-20-16 0

Devils: 25-25-25 3