MOSES LAKE – On Wednesday, the Big Bend Vikings (2-14) traveled to Ontario, Ore., to face Treasure Valley. In three sets, the Vikings were defeated 3-0. Head Coach Lindsey Linthicum said she is trying to change their approach to the mentality of the game.  

“I keep telling the girls, keep in mind, just because we are the youngest team, that does not mean that we cannot get to where we need to be,” Linthicum said. “We're only halfway through the season, we've seen our top teams play now, we kind of know what to expect. So now it's time to step up the game even more.”  

The Vikings lost the first set 25-15, but Linthicum said her players showed a competitive edge in the beginning. After hanging with them for the first part of the set, they hit a mental block that allowed TVCC to dictate the rest of the set, she said.  

TVCC continued to dictate the game in the second set, stringing together a productive attack that led to a 25-5 win.  

“It's just back to that mentality of staying mentally strong. You make a few mistakes, you let it go, and you move on. That's where we're at right now, is just trying to find a way to get through the mental blocks that we hit,” Linthicum said.  

However, the Vikings showed a desire to break through their rough patch before the third set. Linthicum said the team came together and agreed they were going to shift their approach in the third set.  

“At the end of that second set, a lot of them all agreed and came to that concise decision that, ‘No, this is not how we play volleyball. This is not who we are as a team,’” she said.  

The Vikings started the third set strong, jumping out to a 14-6 lead, Linthicum said. An adjustment the Vikings made was how they ran their hitters. She told her players to switch where they were targeting. Their blocking improved in the third set as well, stepping up to TVCC’s hitter Katelyn Markley.  

Linthicum told her players while she was a great hitter, that did not mean they could not respond.  

“Give them the credit where the credit is due, but then also get that competitiveness of, ‘No, I'm going to block you, or I'm going to out hit you, or I'm going to find a way to beat you mentally, and competitively,’” Linthicum said.  

The Vikings got two blocks on Markley and showed their ability to adjust to tough competition. Linthicum said her players started reading TVCC better, which allowed them to be more competitive in the third set. She credited Edyn Marlatt for stepping up to help the Vikings.  

“She did a phenomenal job of just realizing, ‘Okay, this is a team that will camp,’ and when I say camp, it means another team on the other side for blocking. They just kind of rest and they'll wait more so on a particular hitter or cheat more towards a particular hitter, so that way the blocking is more precise,” Linthicum said.  

Ultimately, the Vikings were defeated 25-19 in the third set and officially lost 3-0 to Treasure Valley. Despite the loss, Linthicum said her players are starting to see what adjustments they need to make with half of the season now behind them. She said it starts with bringing the energy from the beginning of the game.  

In her first season as the head coach, Linthicum is trying to instill confidence in her players that they can compete with any team they face. Besides one or two top contenders, the rest of the league is any team's spot to grab, she said. 

“They're starting to see that buy-in now, more so than ever. I tell them to after every game, even practice, like I will say it until I'm blue in the face, ‘There's something more within you. You have all the opportunity to go to the NWAC’s just like everybody else. You have to find the belief, and you have to want it,’ and I think they're starting to recognize that,” she said.  

Linthicum said her philosophy on rebuilding a program differs from typical beliefs of the usual timeline of three to four years. She said it depends on the culture she sets from the beginning and pushing the players to want it too.  

“I've always been ridiculously competitive, but I also have always really loved that underdog story,” she said. “You see it throughout sports history, teams that were never supposed to be anything or anyone, right? And yet they came in and saw an opportunity, and they said, ‘Well, why not us?’” 

Linthicum said she is confident in her players' ability to turn their season around and finish strong. She said every team is capable of being beaten. If the Vikings can build some consistency, their season can turn around starting with Spokane College.  

The Vikings host the Sasquatch’s on Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. 

BOX SCORE:  

BBCC: 15-5-19: 0
TVCC: 25-25-25: 3 

    Natania Vela (4) bumps the ball back into play against Columbia Basin College on Friday. Head Coach of the Vikings Lindsey Linthicum said her team is working on their mentality going forward the rest of the season.
  

    The Vikings’ Jah Chong (8) eyes the ball as it flies over the net into the Vikings side of the court. Head Coach Lindsey Linthicum is confident that her players can turn their season around and hang with any team in their league.
  

    Haedynn Plum (3) goes to serve against Columbia Basin College on Friday. Head Coach Lindsey Linthicum said her players made strong adjustments in the third set.