Sports
EHS Volleyball Rolls Over Decatur 3-0 in SPSL Opener
The Hornets ride 11 service aces and tough defense to get a big road win in the start of SPSL play.
The Enumclaw (2-2, 1-0 SPSL 3A) girls volleyball team came out flying Thursday, beating Decatur in three straight sets (25-19, 25-8, and 25-15) on their home turf in the SPSL 3A Volleyball League opener for both squads.
"I am pretty pleased," Hornet head coach Jackie Carel said. "We came out pretty strong after not playing in over ten days." (The Hornets last played on Sept. 10.)
In the opening set, Enumclaw jumped ahead from the start building a 9-3 lead that would extend out to a 20-10 edge before the Gators would be able to cut it back to 24-19. The Hornets held on to get the set point. The comeback at the end of the first set was not a surprise to Carel afterwards.
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"Decatur is a powerful team," she said.
In set two, the Hornets, led by Danielle Saltarelli and Haylee Mae Dennis, would start to take control. Backed by a strong team defense, Saltarelli had three service aces on the night, along with four kills, and team captain Dennis had six kills. All combined, the Hornets were able to jump out to a 16-4 led and never looked back, rolling to a 25-8 victory and taking that all important 2-0 lead.
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"We had moments of greatness with our serving in the second set," Carel said. "We took advantage of some of their weaknesses, and our defense was solid."
The Hornets finished the night breaking a 2-2 tie in the third and going on a 11-4 scoring run, thanks to more strong hustle all over the court to keep rallies alive. The team capped off its first road win with a sliding dig by Olivia Bannerot that landed in the seam of the Gator defense and clinched the match at 25-15 for a clean sweep.
Carel lauded her team's ability to get out of the gate in league play with a win.
"It's wonderful to win on the road," Carel said. "In a league as small as ours every game is important."
The Hornets return home to take on state 3A power Auburn Mountainview on Monday night and Carel is well aware of the challenge ahead on Monday.
"Auburn Mountainview is a powerful team, with outstanding hitters," she said. " I told the girls they need to be brave and not be afraid and believe in themselves."
First serve on Monday is at 7:15 p.m. at Enumclaw High School.
