DUNSMUIR - The Dunsmuir Lady Tiger Volleyball team played a tight five-game match against the Butte Valley Bulldogs, last Thursday, winning 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-9).

In game-one Annie VanErt served six straight to give Dunsmuir 14-9 lead. Some missed Lady Tiger serves and good plays by the Bulldogs brought Butte Valley back into the game. The game went back and forth with the score, until Annie VanErt took over the serve. With Dunsmuir ahead by a single point 23-22, VanErt and teammates closed out the game for a 25-22 win.

The Lady Tigers found themselves trailing 13-8 midway through game-two, but rallied back to make it a close game, before losing 25-23.

Game-three was just about a carbon copy of game-two, with Butte Valley capitalizing on missed serves and hits by Dunsmuir. Butte Valley won the game 25-22.

The Tigers came out fighting in game-four, and went head-to-head with the Bulldogs. Dunsmuir broke the game open, when Rose Spagnolo stepped to the line, with the score tied 14-14. Dunsmuir scored seven straight points, four of them Spagnolo aces, to give the Lady Tigers a 21-14 lead. Dunsmuir went on to win 25-20 to force a game-five.

In game-five, Lady Tiger coach Lisa Kirch had a plan, and her team executed it.

“Knowing we only went to 15 points, the team knew we had to come out strong and not let up. They did exactly that. Their serving was better and they covered the floor great.  Jennifer Hope had two aces with four points to help with the victory. We finished game-five off with a kill by Sadie Machamer,” said Kirch. “That’s the way we like to finish a match. We don’t play conservative. I want the ladies to keep hitting the ball even if it is going well, sometimes we lose points that way, but I believe we have gained more points from being aggressive…. My philosophy is keep swinging, it will come and it usually does. Sadie Machamer had three missed hits into the net in game-one. She ended the night with 5 kills, one of them being a game-winning kill.”

Taylor Fesler, Jamie Kirch and Rose Spagnolo led the Lady Tigers with eight aces a piece, followed by Hope with seven and VanErt with six. MacHamer led the team with five kills. Heather Coe and Jennifer Hope had three each. Hope also had two solo blocks.

Dunsmuir (6-6, 2-0) hits the road to Bieber on Tuesday, October 9 to face Big Valley (4-11-3, 2-0), at 5:00 pm, for an Evergreen League clash.