MCDERMITT - With a handful of preseason matches to start the year, the McDermitt High School volleyball team is looking to improve each time out on the floor.
The group of four seniors and three freshmen made their debut last weekend in Battle Mountain with one win in five matches against schools that had two weeks' worth of action under their belt.
The Lady Bulldogs (1-5) were at home for the first time on Tuesday night to take on Crane, Ore., and showed the crowd glimpses of their improving play. Crane defeated McDermitt 25-16, 25-23 and 25-13, but needed a 14-3 rally in game two to sweep the match.
"We played a lot better than we did in Battle Mountain," said MHS head coach Jaimi Wilkinson. "We missed a lot less serves and I thought we passed the ball much better. We are definitely getting sets in areas to where we can get some hits off."
Crane scored seven of the first 10 points of the first set, but two kills by Staheli Wilkinson kept McDermitt in the game at 9-6. The Mustangs rallied from there, going on a 7-1 run before it was stopped by a kill by Wilkinson and a block by Sharon Sherburn. Sherburn followed with a second consecutive block to close the gap to 16-11, only to see the Mustangs go on a 6-2 run and close the game out.
McDermitt dominated the early portion of the second set, racing out to an 8-1 advantage. The Mustangs actually scored the first point of the set as the Lady Bulldogs were whistled for a rotation error.
Behind two kills from Wilkinson and the blocking of Sherburn, McDermitt added to its advantage in the set and led 18-11.
"Sharon dominated the match with her blocking and took Crane out of their game in that second set," Wilkinson said.
The Bulldogs scored the next two points to lead 20-11, including an ace by Va Draunidalo, but it was all Mustangs from there. Crane reeled off four straight points, the last two by aces to force a McDermitt timeout at 20-15. The stop in play did not hurt Crane, as the run continued with six more points, giving the Mustangs a 21-20 lead.
McDermitt fired back with two points in a row to grab a 22-21 advantage, only to see Crane score three of the final four points to win the set.
"We just have to find that killer instinct and put teams away," Wilkinson said. "The younger kids have to learn to dig in and not allow a team to make a run on them. The girls will get it."
Crane carried that momentum from the second set and built a 13-3 lead in the third set and never looked back. McDermitt closed the gap to 15-9, but that was as close as the Lady Bulldogs could get.
"I don't leave here upset today," added the coach. "They played much better than they have in the past. Getting time on the floor will be the best thing for the girls. They just haven't played enough together to be confident."
McDermitt hosts the Lowry JV Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
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