<I>Eagle photo by Tim Adams</I><BR>Bronwyn Bartlett serves.

JOHN DAY – Senior volleyball players Toya Houpt and Larissa Silva said the matchup against Vale on Sept. 22 would be the toughest league game the Prospectors would play this season and their pregame statements were right on target.

Coming off back-to-back nonleague losses to Baker and defending Class 3A state champion Burns, the Lady Pros were in need of a win to open the Wapiti League and took the floor with determination against the Vikings, hoping to record their first league win in two seasons.

In the end, Vale proved too strong and dropped Grant Union in four games, 26-24, 23-25, 25-15 and 25-18.

The Pros held substantial leads in two of the games, 7-1 and 8-2, but couldn’t put the Vikings away.

“We’ve battled the flu and the flu won this week. I think we’re still coming back from that,” said coach Cindy Batease. “The girls never gave up and worked hard. I look forward to playing Vale again.”

Mikeala Alley and Lindsey Duncan both played an excellent game, along with Bronwyn Bartlett, Michelle Lachica, Batease said

“It was a tough game,” Alley said. “We’re going to win the next time we play because we know what they’re doing now.”

Duncan, the Pros big gal in the middle, was surprised at the loss.

“I don’t know what happened. We had it,” she said. “We had them 18-9 at one point. I don’t know, we just lost it.”

The Pros could have done some stuff better, Shanley Day said.

“When we go to their house, we’re going to get ’em,” she said.