EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers (0-1) began their volleyball season at home against the Omak Pioneers, falling 3-0 to their nonleague opponent. Despite opening the season on a loss, the Tigers are using this as a liftoff for improvement for the remainder of the season. 

“It was definitely more of a reflection of first game nerves. We’ve got a bunch of sophomores coming out there,” said McKaidan Boyd, the Tigers’ new Head Coach. “We scrimmaged hard the night before and we came out really well and today we just couldn’t apply that.” 

At the start of the first set, Ephrata fell behind as Omak gained a solid lead early on. Halfway through the set, the Tigers found traction to cut into their opponent’s lead but ultimately were unable to close the gap and fell 25-14.  

The Tigers used their momentum gained in the second half of the first set as they continued into the second set. At one point early in the set, Ephrata had gained a six-point lead over their opponent.  

As the set went on, Omak started to regain traction and eventually tied the game at 21-21. From there the set became a back-and-forth between the two teams, with neither seeming to let up in their intensity to claim the advantage. 

Eventually, Omak found opportunities to score and claimed the second set 31-29. 

Ephrata continued to play with intensity going into the third set after being down two sets but struggled to score early on. Halfway through the set, the Tigers began to regain some traction, but Omak remained strong and closed the match 25-13. 

“I think it was a lot of our head games and mental toughness, but we’ll come out stronger and work on it at practice,” said Boyd. 

Even with a loss, Tuesday’s game against Omak displayed many highlights for the Tigers. Their libero, Staci Guerrero came out hot during this game, said Boyd as she remained consistent in her passes and stayed vigilant against the opposing serves throughout. 

Sidney Chornuk was another highlight as the coach said she played an amazing game on the outside and earned multiple kills throughout the evening. 

“Every player knows they can just give her the ball and she’s going to put it away,” said the coach. 

While Chornuk was disappointed in the outcome for game one, the sophomore said she is still set on having a strong team mentality and being there for her teammates. 

“I definitely want to reflect on our team’s mindsets and hopefully we can make them positive and stronger for the next game,” said Chornuk 

This game was a great learning experience for the Tigers as they get rolling into their season. Boyd said playing nonleague teams allowed them to reflect on where they will need to improve once they start to face their league opponents in a few weeks. 

“I think it’s important, even if they’re a lower rank school to not underestimate them,” said the coach. “Obviously they can come in and sweep you in three.” 

Early season practices have been centered around working on their transition, breaking down their defense and explaining the percentage of what each person needs to be covering, allowing players to get a better visual for it, she said.  

“Just really getting our defense strong, working on our block, which is our first line of defense and then we’ll push on that offense in the next couple practices,” said Boyd. 

With Boyd filling the role as head coach this season, she said her main goals early on are to focus on the mental toughness of her players, and she wants to push them to be the best versions of themselves both on and off the court. 

In the early season, Boyd said she is already beginning to see strong bonds and skills being built among the Ephrata players. As the Tigers head deeper into this season, Boyd said she is most excited to see how much these girls grow and to take this opportunity to build their program for years to come. 

“I have nothing but positives to say about them; they’re such a great group of girls,” said the coach. “Again, tonight was just a reflection of first-game nerves. A bunch of young ones coming out here on the big field, getting a feeling for it for the first time and this is definitely not a reflection of who we are.” 

The Tigers head on the road for their next game as they face West Valley (Spokane) today at 7 p.m. 

BOX SCORE:  

OMAK: 25-31-25: 3  

EPHT: 14-29-13: 0 

TIGERS ROSTER 

Name, Jersey, Grade 

Dee Bazan, 10, 10 

Payton Canfield, 3, 12 

Sidney Chornuk, 5, 10 

Natalie Davis, 4, 10 

Staci Guerrero, 8, 10 

Clairissa Johson, 6, 11 

Navi Kaur, 1, 11 

Bergen Lauver, 11, 10 

Ella Piturachsatit, 12, 10 

Addison Vasquez, 7, 10 

Scarlet Wolther, 9, 10 

Skyler Wood, 2, 10

    EHS sophomore Sidney Chornuk responds to a hit from Omak Tuesday evening in the first game of the season.
  

    Staci Guerrero (8), a sophomore from the Tigers, keeps her eye on the ball as she looks to bump it up in the air with her teammate Scarlet Wolther (9) watching the play.
  

    Addison Vasquez, a sophomore from Ephrata, sets the ball for her teammate to give an opportunity for a kill against Omak.
  

    Ephrata junior Clairissa Johnson leaps up to smack the ball over the net while her surrounding teammates keep an eye on the ball.
  

    Navi Kaur, a junior from EHS, prepares to serve against Omak Tuesday evening during the season opener.