Saints volleyball bests two teams and secures playoff berth

The Saints volleyball team has found a way to pull out wins despite having their backs against the wall due to injuries, changes in positions and tough league play.

Last week the proof was in the pudding with the Saints defeating the Linn-Benton Roadrunners who hold the number two position with a 6-1 record in the Southern Region. The boost of confidence from the win carried over as the Saints pulle out back-to-back wins in the region Oct. 21 and 22.

The Saints, who have clinched a playoff berth and hold the top position in the Southern region with a 7-1 record, still have some kinks left to work out. On Oct. 22 the Saints faced the Southwestern Lakers and had a back-and-forth five-game battle en route of victory.

“We tried to figure out what was happening,” said assistant coach Corey Nielson, referring to the 23-25 first game loss in the match, a trend in the Saints extended game matches. “There were a ton of errors, 18 in game one, so essentially they (SWOCC), didn’t even have to be on the court to take that game.”

In game two, the Saints came out more focused, easily winning 25-9, and then took game three with a 25-20 win. After dropping game four 21-25, the Saints, facing a notoriously tough opponent on their home court, managed to pull out game five 15-4 en route of the match victory.

Large offensive contributions by sophomore Devan Belshe, who had 13 match kills, and freshman Casi Johnson, who had eight game kills, helped to close out the Lakers. “SWOCC is a really tough team to beat at their place, no matter the sport. It’s a tough crowd,” said Nielson. “They definitely made us work for it.”

The Saints played and defeated the Umpqua Riverhawks Oct. 21, who fell just short of clinching a playoff spot and are now fourth in the Southern Region with a 2-5 record. Coming off the Linn-Benton victory, the Saints refocused their energy pulling out the match victory in three straight games (25-14, 25-16, 25-18).

But despite the win, there was room for improvement, said Nielson, “We were able to get the win, coming off of the big Linn-Benton game. We had the momentum, but it wasn’t pretty,” Nielson added, “We need to work on committing less errors, focus and discipline.”

The Saints, who were ranked number three in the Oct. 20 coaches’ poll, have managed to tune out distractions and focus on playing one game at a time.
“We know the ranking is there, but we really don’t pay too much attention to it,” said Nielson. “Being ranked number one has a way of putting a bull’s-eye on your back and Mt. Hood already has a bulls-eye on our backs so we just focus on our game and getting the job done.”

Sophomore Kylie Engleson, who sat out matches in the early season due to injury, was named as one of the week nine NWAACC players of the week. Engleson has emerged as one of this season’s team leaders.

“Kylie is very gifted physically as an athlete. She is an amazing center with a great all-around game,” said Nielson, who added, “Her biggest area of growth has been the mental aspect of her game. She doesn’t shut down, she isn’t concerned with herself, she cares about helping her team.”

The Saints will compete in the Dorian Harris Classic today and Saturday at Mt. Hood. Where, by tradition, the Saints will play matches while dressed up in costumes. The Saints will have a chance to focus on key game elements that still need work despite tournament results not counting in Region record. “It’s just another opportunity for us to come out, play hard and see if we can put forward our best effort,” said Nielson.

Mt. Hood will play two matches today against MHCC alumni; the first match will be 4 p.m., and the second match will be 6 p.m. Day two of the tournament, games will be determined by day one outcome. Results and day two games times can be found on the NWAACC site following day one play.