Bruins win two straight volleyball matches

WHITE SALMON — A couple of straight set wins have the Columbia High volleyball team back on track this season, after a 0-3 Trico League start.

The Bruins won at Fort Vancouver on Sept. 23, and then beat King’s Way Christian in White Salmon on Sept. 25. Columbia enters this week tied for fifth in the eight-team Trico at 2-3, 3-3 overall.

The Bruins got progressively better each set in the league victories this past week, winning at Vancouver, 25-16, 25-11, 25-9. A three-point run — fueled by spikes from Sara Miller and Joella Posini, and a dink by Posini — enabled Columbia to build a 14-7 lead. The Bruins would eventually build a 21-11 lead before a modest Vancouver comeback.

A similar burst in the second set pushed the Bruin lead from 14-6 to 17-6. Mckena Carlock and Kiana Chambers had overhand spikes for points, and Chambers added another point after a Vancouver error to account for Columbia’s 3-0 scoring run. It was 23-11 on Miller’s kill shot before two Vancouver mistakes ended the match.

Posini’s stuff block gave Columbia possession to start the third set and Bella Hamilton’s six-point service run pushed the lead to 7-0, which got no closer than six points the rest of the set.

Columbia almost squandered what seemed a comfortable lead in the first set against King’s Way. It was 19-12 Bruins when King’s went on an 11-5 scoring run to pull within 24-23. King’s senior Alyssa Kullick hit a dipping serve cross court to the left which Columbia’s Lola Marti kept alive with a diving dig. Posini stuff blocked the subsequent return from King’s into the open court for a 25-23 Columbia win.

The margins were greater in sets two and three — 25-18 and 25-12. Posini’s stuff block for a point set up match point, which came on a Miller ace.