Grant Union defeats Heppner in first league battle

Published 1:00 pm Friday, September 14, 2018

The Grant Union Prospectors battled in their first league match at home, sweeping the Heppner Mustangs 3-0 with scores of 25-11, 25-18 and 25-18.

Prospector head coach Ali Abrego said senior Sydney Brockway’s hustle on a few plays were “incredible.”

“She saved our bacon on a few of them,” the coach said.

“Hailie Wright and Alcie Moore, their leadership as setters and captains is pretty fun to watch,” she added. “The senior group is awesome.”

Another force on the team for the night was freshman Grace Taylor, the only freshman on the court for the Prospectors.

“This is the best she’s ever played, so I’m really pleased to see that,” Abrego said.

Grant Union had a good handle on the first set early on for a big win, but Heppner pushed the envelope in the second and third.

The Prospectors were ahead in the second 9-6 when the Mustangs battled to tie the score 10-10.

Wright stepped in to serve to move Grant Union head by 5 points and the home team steadily jumped ahead for the win.

After tying early on a few times in the third Grant Union didn’t have a comfortable lead, but stayed ahead for the sweep.

Abrego said the momentum in this type of game can easily change directions.

“You can be so high and then all of a sudden a few dropped balls and a few missed serves and it’s a neck and neck game,” she said. “I was really proud of their ability to maintain consistency because that’s something that we’re working on, our peaks and valleys.”

Abrego said she was impressed with Heppner’s coach Mindy Wilson.

“She’s smart and knows when to pick apart our defense, so I think that when we play them later in the season we’ll have to be really careful with that,” Abrego said.

Grant Union was scheduled to compete at the Baker Tournament Friday, facing teams from larger schools.

The Prospectors are on the road again Tuesday to face the Hilanders at 6:30 p.m. in Burns.