Losses? We don' care 'bout no stinkin' losses.
With that kind of attitude, Columbia High halted a two-match losing streak and won both of its Trico Division matches last week to pull within one win of third-place Ridgefield in the standings.
The Bruins (6-4) dispatched the Spudders (7-3) in four sets here Oct. 15 and followed up with a sweep of the Castle Rock Rockets there last Thursday.
"We came ready to play," Bruins Coach Amy Kasenga said of CHS's victory over Ridgefield, which beat CHS in the first meeting of the season.
Kasenga pointed to the Bruins' blocking and attacking "with more purpose" as the keys.
Columbia recorded seven scoring blocks and 19 kills during the match, led by senior Mallory Holtman's three blocks in 10-of-11 chances and five kills in 33 tries.
Overall, the Bruins posted a blocking percentage of 88 percent (22-25) and a hitting percentage of 87 percent (127-146).
Seniors Kristin Janney, Crystal Blankenship and Jessica Kinder, and junior Shelly Putnam were forces at the net as well.
Janney notched two scoring blocks (7-9 chances) and seven kills (38-40 attempts), Blankenship and Kinder had three kills each, and Putnam tallied five scoring tips.
Defensively, CHS accounted for 30 digs, with Blankenship, Kinder and Holtman each getting credit for six digs.
At the service line, the Bruins were successful 95 percent of the time, missing just four of 81 offerings.
Six players, led by Kinder's 18-for-18 and Janney's 14-for-14 efforts, finished with perfect marks.
Kinder, Putnam and senior Lisa Graves (11-11) shared the team lead with two aces apiece. Blankenship (11-11) had one.
The Bruins opened a 7-0 lead in the first set on the lead-off serve of Graves, who had two aces during the run.
But the Spudders rallied to take a 12-11 advantage after a CHS hitting error.
It was a shortlived lead, however, as Ridgefield's next serve went into the net. A net violation by the Spudders followed, giving the Bruins a 13-12 edge.
Columbia stretched its lead to 21-16 thanks to a pair of kills by Janney and a scoring block by Putnam.
Following its second timeout of the set, Ridgefield battled back to pull within 23-22 on a CHS passing error.
The Bruins finally prevailed, 25-22, as the Spudders committed back-to-back passing errors.
In the second set, Columbia spotted Ridgefield a 1-0 lead, then broke away from a 2-2 tie to lead by as many as nine points (23-14).
After a brief Ridgefield run, Holtman clinched CHS's 25-19 win with a stuff block.
The Spudders got back into the match in third set, scoring the final five points following their second timeout to claim a 25-22 decision.
But after a slow start in the fourth set, the Bruins took control with a scoring tip by Putnam, a kill by Blankenship and a serving ace by Putnam.
The lead eventually reached double digits. Blankenship finished off the 25-11 win with a scoring tip and a kill.
"It was a big win," Kasenga noted. "This is the first time we've beaten Ridgefield in the three years I've been coach. It helps us going in to district to have beaten La Center and Ridgefield, and shows that we can be a contender."
Columbia 3, at Castle Rock 0 --
The Bruins won the season series against the Rockets with last Thursday's shutout victory.
CHS prevailed by scores of 25-12, 25-14, 25-21 as it served at a 91-percent clip (61-67, 7 aces) and connected on 76-of-86 attacks (88 percent, 22 kills, 13 scoring tips).
Columbia got two aces each from Kristin Janney (16-17 serves) and junior Krista Bakke (4-5), and errorless serving from Crystal Blankenship, Lisa Graves, Shelly Putnam and junior Emily Swick.
The Bruins' attack was led by Janney (6 kills, 5 scoring tips), Blankenship (6 kills, 4 tips), Mallory Holtman (4 kills, 2 scoring blocks) and Jessica Kinder (5 kills).
Defensively, Blankenship came up with a team-leading eight digs.
"We didn't really give them much of a chance to fight back," Bruins Coach Amy Kasenga said. "It was a lot of fun for the whole team because everybody got to play."
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