Lady Vikes Rally to Victory in Final Match Against Tacoma CC, Ending the Week on a High Note

Following a promising 2-1 start to the 2024-25 campaign, the Big Bend Community College Lady Vikes volleyball team is gearing up for a busy home opener with four matches spread across two days. The Lady Vikes took the court on Wednesday, August 28th, and Thursday, August 29th, aiming to build on their early momentum and further showcase their potential on home turf.

The Big Bend Community College Lady Vikes volleyball team opened their home slate against Centralia Community College, looking to build on their solid start to the season. However, the Lady Vikes struggled to find their rhythm early, dropping the first two sets by scores of 25-15 and 25-13. Despite rallying to take the third set, BBCC ultimately fell to Centralia in four sets, losing the match 3-1.

Emma Lucas was a standout for the Lady Vikes, delivering an impressive performance with 22 assists, 12 digs, and 2 block assists. Lucas's all-around play was a bright spot for BBCC, showcasing her ability to contribute both offensively and defensively. Katie Downing also made a notable impact, adding 5 kills with a .400 hitting efficiency, providing a consistent presence at the net in the weekend opener. Head Coach Alexa Moser had this to say regarding the loss.

"This was a frustrating game. We had just played Centralia less than a week ago and won, so we knew what to expect from this team. But we just couldn't get anything going offensively. Our back row was passing well, digging well but at some point we have to put a ball away. We also struggled from the service line, when you have 8 missed serves in a match, that's just handing teams free points."

After a tough opening loss to Centralia, the Big Bend Community College Lady Vikes were eager to bounce back in their second match of the weekend against South Puget Sound. Despite a valiant effort, the Lady Vikes faced a similar fate, falling to SPS in four sets with a final score of 3-1.

The match started with a tightly contested first set that saw the Lady Vikes narrowly miss out, losing 25-23. However, BBCC showed resilience in the second set, battling back to even the match with a 25-22 victory. As the game progressed, the momentum shifted, and the Lady Vikes struggled to maintain their form. South Puget Sound took control in the third and fourth sets, winning convincingly with scores of 25-13 and 25-16.

Audrey Wellhausen was a standout for the Lady Vikes, delivering a stellar performance with 13 kills and an impressive .565 hitting efficiency. She also contributed defensively with 3 block assists, demonstrating her all-around impact on the court. Hailey Buehner added 9 kills, continuing to be a key offensive player for BBCC. Moser had this to say regarding the tough opening day.

"Another match that was frustrating because we had played them a week ago as well. And even though we lost last weekend, we knew it was a team we could beat. Audrey had a stellar match but one hitter can only carry you so far, we need to find success with our other hitters."

After a rough start to their four-game set, the Big Bend Community College Lady Vikes were determined to turn things around on day two as they faced Clark Community College. Despite their best efforts and a spirited comeback, the Lady Vikes fell short in a nail-biting five-set match, losing 3-2.

The match began with Clark taking the first set 25-21, but the Lady Vikes quickly regrouped. They responded with grit and determination, winning sets two and three with scores that put them in a strong position to close out the match in the fourth set. However, Clark refused to back down, battling back to take the fourth set, forcing the match into a decisive fifth set.

In the final set, the Lady Vikes struggled to maintain their momentum, and Clark capitalized on their errors, taking the set and the match with a hard-fought 3-2 victory. The loss was a tough blow for BBCC, who had come so close to sealing their first win of the week.

Hailey Buehner continued her impressive start to the season, leading the Lady Vikes with 14 kills and a hitting efficiency of .250. Katie Downing also made significant contributions with 9 kills and 4 block assists, showcasing her all-around play on both offense and defense. BBCC Head Coach Alexa Moser had this to say after opening the week 0-3.

"This match was definitely disappointing. I felt like it was a game we should've easily won, but once again, just our unforced errors kind of gave them the win. I feel like we're battling ourselves more than our opponents right now. Hailey Buehner had a great match with 14 kills, but once again, one hitter can only get you so far. We have to find all around success."

After a challenging start to the week, the Big Bend Community College Lady Vikes capped off their four-game set with a strong performance against Tacoma Community College, earning a well-deserved 3-1 victory. This win marked a significant turnaround, providing a positive end to a tough stretch of matches.

The Lady Vikes started slowly, dropping the first set to Tacoma by a score of 25-17. However, instead of letting the early setback dictate the match, BBCC regrouped and showcased their resilience and determination. They mounted an impressive comeback, winning the next three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-21, and 25-19.

Olivia Louie was instrumental in leading the Lady Vikes' offense, recording 12 kills and contributing defensively with 14 digs. Her all-around performance helped BBCC control the pace of the game and maintain their momentum through the decisive sets. Moser had this to say regarding the victory.

"The first set of this match looked like our other 3 matches and I was worried about the direction it was going to go but these girls decided to flip the switch and win the next 3 straight sets. This was definitely a mental test, tired from 3 previous matches, tired from losing the 3 previous matches, we could've just rolled over and gave Tacoma that win but the fight and heart of these girls was not going to let that happen. It still wasn't clean volleyball, but we found a way to have success even on an off day and that's what we have to take away is knowing we aren't going to play perfect, or even our best volleyball all the time, so figuring out how to still capitalize in those moments."

After challenging week, Moser added.

"I keep reminding myself these are pre-season games and although the goal is to obviously win, I think it's good to see struggles early on in the season because we know how we have to compete and what we need to work on in order to come out on top in some of these matches. We're still trying to find the best line-up and so mixing girls in different positions, different rotations, it's exciting to see girls step-up and know that we have so many options with how versatile these girls are. I think the biggest step moving forward is just being able to find some consistency, right now we're very up and down, which is to be expected early on in season, but we have to find a way to get into a rhythm."

BBCC prepares for their next challenge where they will compete in the Highline Invitational September 6th7th, playing Whatcom, Highline, Pierce and Skagit Valley.

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