Columbia volleyball team clings to playoff hopes

Coach Heidi Shultz said the Seton win, coupled with her team’s inspired play in the home loss to Castle Rock, might be just what the team needs to help it move up from fifth to fourth in the Trico League with four matches remaining. If they do so, the fifth-place Bruins (5-6 overall, 1-5 Trico) would earn one of four Trico berths in the November district playoffs.

“We had a good week,” she said. “We just played really, really well against Castle Rock. We were so close to beating them. It was hard to lose, but I was proud of the way the girls played.”

The Bruins won the first set, 25-23, and were arguably, just a few good serves away, from taking the second set, as well. “We missed six serves in that game,” Shultz said of the difference in the 25-23 second set. “That was a bummer.”

The Bruins were reeling a bit in the third set, losing 25-8, before rebounding in the fourth despite dropping it, as well, 25-23. “Our hitting was not as good as it had been,” Shultz said of the third-set anomaly.

“So, the first time we played them, I think we only made it to 16 and then maybe 15 and 15. It just felt like (last week) that we were really in the game,” the coach added. “It was a lot more competitive this time for sure.

“We just did a few different things on serve receive and also our defense, based on playing them the time before. Our hitters were being really aggressive, but I think that had to do with the fact that our serve receive was passing much better. When you can get a good pass, you can get a good set and you can get a good hit. It all starts with the pass.”

Jessica Polkinghorn had 10 kills for Columbia in the Castle Rock match, and fellow junior teammate Claire Hayes added nine. “And a couple more of the girls had five kills each and not very many errors,” Shultz said.

Against a team like Castle Rock, “where we were beaten so badly, it’s really satisfying to play really, really well,” Shultz said. “Especially with our place in the league (1-4 at the time) against the second-place team, who you know, is ranked really high in state. I was proud of the girls for playing so well.”

Four teams make it into the district playoffs, so this is an important week for the Bruins. Columbia was scheduled to play at first place La Center on Tuesday (result came after the print edition deadline). CHS is at Stevenson on Thursday and at King’s Way on Oct. 25. The Bruin lost a close match at home to Stevenson and were swept by La Center and King’s Way.

“We are the underdogs,” Shultz said. “I’m trying to sell that to the girls. We just need to go out and play to the best of our ability. There’s no pressure on us.”

Columbia was missing various starters the first time it played its next three opponents during the first half of league matches.