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NEWPORT – The Newport Grizzlies volleyball team played Priest River in their first game of the season last month, losing in three sets. It was a different story Thursday night at Newport, when the Grizzlies won in four sets. Newport took the first two sets 25-18, 2515, Priest River rallied to win the third set 25-22. Newport won the fourth set 25-23.
“It was a big win,” Newport coach Natalie Randolph says. “They were super excited.”
Priest River coach Katlyn Ward says it was an off night for the Spartans.
“The ‘vibes were off,’” Ward says. “We had moments of everyone on and moments of a couple girls off.”
The game was characterized by several long rallies.
“(Newport has) been learning to not let the ball hit the floor,” Randolph says. She says Priest River is also competitive and didn’t want to let the ball hit the floor, resulting in long rallies.
Newport has improved a lot since the first of the season, Randolph says.
“We had no chemistry on the floor,” she says of the first few matches. After about the fourth game, the team seemed to gel. “After that they were unstoppable.”
Newport has won the last four October contests, beating Chewelah and Kettle Falls in three sets, defeating St. George’s in five sets and Priest River in four. Newport is currently 4-4, Randolph says, in fourth place in league standings.
The Grizzlies played Northwest Christian Tuesday after the newspaper went to press. They travel to Davenport Thursday, Oct. 17 and to Kettle Falls Saturday. Both games start at 6:30 p.m.
