Volleyball: Kamiakin battles back to beat Pasco in five sets

After dropping the first two games, Kamiakin rallied to beat Pasco 26-28, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 17-15 on Thursday in a Mid-Columbia Conference match in Kennewick.

“It was down to the wire on every game,” Braves coach Mary Opitz said. “Their team is outstanding. They go after everything.”

The Bulldogs seemed to have the match in hand after the first two games, but the Braves were relentless.

“We killed it, then we got overconfident,” second-year Pasco coach Jackie Fluaitt said. “Mentally, we didn’t finish it. Kamiakin is no team to take lightly. They dug in and didn’t let us have any more. There were a ton of people screaming at us. It was awesome.”

After pulling even after four games, Kamiakin had to extend the game to get the win.

“They have some great girls who play some great defense, and they have some good hitters,” Opitz said. “They will be one to contend with. They play every point to the very end. I’m proud of my girls, the way they fought back.”

Pasco, which starts three sophomores and one freshman, are 1-1 this season heading into the SunDome Tournament on Saturday.

“They are eager and they are willing,” Fluaitt said. “They put in the work. They make me look like I know what I am doing.”

Set scores: Kamiakin 26-28, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 17-15. Pasco—Victoria Estes 35 asst.; Caitlyn Linke 18K, 25 digs; Lacie Ortiz 54 digs; Ashlin Orosco 10K. Kamiakin—Nicole Lee 16K, 25 digs; Andrea Stapleton 13K, 8B, 19-19 serv., 1 ace; Leanna Shymanski 6B; Dani Burke 31 asst., 25-29 serv.; Lindsey Schauble 12-13 serv.; Rachel Leshikar 40 digs.

This story was originally published September 11, 2014 at 11:16 PM with the headline "Volleyball: Kamiakin battles back to beat Pasco in five sets."