PREP VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Wampus Cats cruise past Kootenai
JACK FREEMAN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 31 minutes AGO
Clark Fork 3, Kootenai 0
HARRISON — Another game for the Clark Fork Wampus Cats turned into another sweep against the Kootenai Warriors in a 1A North Star league game Thursday night.
Clark Fork improved to 11-0 thanks to a dominant three-set victory (25-13, 25-19, 25-12) and an even spread of kills throughout the team. Freshman Grace Thompson led the Wampus Cats' offense with 10, while sophomore Vanessa Rogier added eight kills and senior Nora-Jean Hoy had six kills.
"This was the scrappiest Kootenai team I've seen in many years, and they took some great swings," Clark Fork head coach Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey said. "We had to find our rhythm in some long rallies and get creative to terminate."
The offense was once again captained by sophomore setter Kiylah Anderson, who totaled 20 assists, a team-high seven aces and seven digs. Hoy added six more aces to contribute to the team's 17 aces, continuing Clark Fork's dominance from the serving line this season.
On the defensive end, Rogier led the charge with nine digs and had a near-perfect serve receive at 14/15. The Wampus Cats totaled 40 digs as a team, with five players recording five or more digs.
Clark Fork improved to 11-0 and 5-0 in its league with the win. The Wampus Cats will take their undefeated record on the road again when they travel to Mullan for another league game Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m.
This will be the first game the Wampus Cats have played against the league rival 1-6 Mullan Tigers in 2026.
Lewiston 3, Sandpoint 1
SANDPOINT — A stellar day from Sandpoint's Ali Gunter wasn't enough to help the Bulldogs overcome the Lewiston Bengals on Thursday night in an Inland Empire League game at Les Rogers Court.
Gunter totaled a team-high 14 kills with a .480 kill percentage in the team's four-set loss (24-26, 25-20,19-25, 22-25) to Lewiston. Her day, which was emblematic of Sandpoint's success hitting the ball, made her the first Bulldog to total over 100 kills on the season.
"Rough loss for us at home," Sandpoint head coach Karen Alsager said. "We hit very well but struggled defensively."
A duo of Bulldogs, Darby Rust and Hailey Gion, were uplifting the defense on Thursday. Gion led Sandpoint with 11 digs, while Rust added 10 to the team's total. The performance lifted both Bulldogs over 100 digs during the season.
Sandpoint's setter, Averi Mire, contributed 28 assists while senior Marlee Lane led the Bulldogs with five service aces.
The loss dropped Sandpoint to 4-7 overall and 1-4 in their league. The Bulldogs get another extended break until Wednesday, Sept. 30, when they travel to face 3A powerhouse Kellogg at 7 p.m.
Sandpoint's final home game of the season is scheduled for Oct. 13 against Lakeland at 7 p.m.
ARTICLES BY JACK FREEMAN
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