MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks (2-0) hosted the Ephrata Tigers (0-3) in a nonleague volleyball matchup Tuesday evening where the Mavs earned a 3-1 victory. Both teams hope to use this matchup as a way to prepare for the start of league play. 

“I think overall we did good,” said Mavs senior Maddy Witwer. “There’s definitely things that we can always work on for both sides of the net.” 

The Mavs started out with a strong first set as they got ahead of the Tigers to win the first set 25-12.  

Things got a little closer for the second set as Ephrata found a little more footing on the court. Despite a strong effort, Moses Lake earned the 25-17 victory to be up 2-0 for the night. 

This didn’t deter the Tigers going into the third set where they carried momentum over from the second set. The Mavs were up for the majority of the set, but the Tigers eventually closed the gap and after a hard-fought tie breaker, won 28-26. 

Moses Lake rallied back for the fourth set where they utilized their strengths on offense to gain an early lead on Ephrata. The Mavs’ resilience came out on top in the final set to win 25-9 and win the match 3-1. 

“They did come out in the third set, and they played well,” said Witwer. “We came right back in the fourth set and showed them that we mean business, and we played how we know we can play.” 

Tigers Head Coach McKaidan Boyd said she was very proud of her players and how they played Tuesday evening. Going into a matchup against a 4A school, she wanted her team to show up with confidence and compete at their best. 

“They really put up a good fight,” said Boyd. “We executed everything that we’ve been working on in practice, and I think we're just growing from here. It was great to see that tonight, and we took a set from Moses, so that was our goal.” 

Building a belief in themselves is something Boyd has been working to instill in the Tigers this season, and she said Tuesday’s game showed the first signs of that. As they move forward in the season, she wants her players to continue developing that mentality. 

One thing the Tigers coach said she saw on the court against Moses Lake was the opponent's ability to execute and find holes in the Ephrata defense. With their next game being a league matchup, the coach said the Tigers have gained great experience to begin competition in the Central Washington Athletic Conference. 

“I think we’re ready,” said Boyd. “I think we’ve got enough games under our belt where some of the younger ones who haven’t had the experience are feeling a lot more confident and the team’s gelling well together.” 

Mavs Head Coach Krystal Trammell-Walt said their second non-league matchup of the season provided great insight into what the team needs to work on early in the year. Some things that stuck out include consistency on serves and working to capitalize on errors. 

The Mavs coach highlighted her players’ strong mental capabilities, which allow them to make quick adjustments on the court. This was on full display against Ephrata as Moses Lake didn’t hesitate going into the fourth set and earned the victory. 

“They were resilient; they pulled it out and stayed mentally strong,” said Trammell-Walt. “Matches like this are fun; it gets us prepared for our league rivalries that we have." 

The Mavs will have a strong schedule of non-league matchups to come with individual matches against University High School and Othello and tournaments at Freeman and Ephrata slated over the next two weeks. Each of these will help the team be at their best when they begin league play against Eisenhower, she said. 

“We’re glad that we had all of our non-league tournaments in the beginning,” said the Mavs coach. “Get the bugs out and figure out rotations and roster and things like that.” 

One thing that the Mavs have emphasized this season is having trust in one another. Witwer said that trust and teamwork will help them work through and rally past tough moments. 

“I think one thing that we really focus on this year is making sure that we’re all playing as one,” she said. “We’re a unit, rather than six separate players on the court, and I think that’s something that really helps us push through adversity and pressure moments on the court. Making sure that we all have each other’s backs and we trust each other.” 

With a few weeks until the start of league play for Moses Lake, the senior feels confident that her team can make the proper adjustments and come together to find success this season. 

“I feel strong,” said Witwer. “I think it’s great that we’re not peaking yet; you don’t want to peak at the beginning of the season. You want to play strong still, but you always want to make sure you have things to work on because that means there’s always room for growth.” 

The Mavericks head on the road to face another nonleague matchup at University High School in Spokane Thursday at 7 p.m. The Tigers host the Othello Huskies to begin league play Thursday at 6 p.m. 

BOX SCORE 

EPHT: 12-17-28-9: 1 

MLHS: 25-25-26-25: 3 

    Ephrata sophomore Scarlet Wolther bumps the ball back over the net through a block from Moses Lake Tuesday evening.
  

    Moses Lake freshman Chloe Massoth leaps up for a kill in Tuesday’s matchup against Ephrata.
  

    Staci Guerrero, a sophomore for the Tigers, prepares to respond to a serve from the Mavs Tuesday.
  

    Mavs junior Allison Bond leaps up to set the ball for her teammate against the Tigers Tuesday evening.
  

    Tigers sophomore Sidney Chornuk responds to a serve from the Mavs and bumps the ball up to set up for a kill.