Weiser rebounds from loss to Fruitland by beating Homedale

The Lady Wolverines’ loss to the Fruitland Grizzlies placed them in the loser’s bracket of the SRV District Tournament, forcing a face off against the Homedale Trojans.
 The Trojans and the Wolverines split their regular season meetings 1-1 and with both teams having a tournament loss against them, a win was vital to prevent elimination and retain a chance at a State Tournament berth.
 The first set was a trading of points to 8-8 when Ciana Fuller began serving for the Wolverines and managed to take a 13-8 lead.  A kill by Soulen was followed by a service ace added to the Wolverine lead 15-9.  
 The Trojans were able to string together a few points with a pair of kills and an ace, but a long and exciting rally culminated in a Weiser point and placed Ivy Morris behind the service line.  A kill by Warner and a stuff block by Yraguen helped keep Morris serving and adding to the 21-13 lead.  
 The Trojans were able to capitalize on some Wolverine miscues, but the Wolverines held strong to take the set 25-17.
 The second set started out rough for the Wolverines and soon they found themselves trailing 3-7 before coach Lindsay Grant called for a timeout to rally her squad. The pause in play was followed by a sneaky dump set by Morris for the kill. Warner and Soulen each recorded a kill as well as a kill from the setting hands of Fuller to tie the set 10-10.  
 Both teams ramped up their play, trading side-outs to the 19-19 mark with neither team managing more than a 2-point advantage. With Jade Simonson serving, Soulen recorded a kill from the back row, Yraguen slammed down a Trojan over feed and Doty found a hole in the corner for the kill to take the 24-20 lead.  Doty capped the set 25-20 with another impressive kill into the vacant corner.
 The Lady Wolverines had a sweep within their grasp, but the third set was unlike the previous two and the Trojans took the early lead. Despite a kill by Warner and a pair from the back row by Buescher, the Wolverines soon found themselves in a 4-15 hole.  
 A Trojan hitting error put Fuller back to serve.  An ace and kills by both Bella Strasser and Simonson inched the Wolverines closer to 9-15.  The Wolverines managed to add periodic points to their credit, but the Trojans were adding to the lead too rapidly for the Wolverines to catch up, and the Trojans took the third set 19-25.
 The Wolverines fell behind slightly in the beginning of the fourth set, but a pair of Doty kills energized her teammates and enabled Morris to go on a 6-0 scoring run, including 3 service aces.  The Wolverines lost a bit of momentum on errors, allowing the Trojans to tie the set 14-14, but strong serving by both Morris and Doty allowed the Wolverines to surge back into a 20-15 lead.  
 Despite some coverage difficulties, the Wolverines held strong and fought hard to take the set 25-22 and the match 3-1 and advance to the runner-up game and a chance to qualify for the 3A State Tournament.