Grant Union on 6-game league win streak

Published 6:04 pm Monday, September 24, 2018

The Grant Union Prospector volleyball team is on a roll after winning their sixth league battle.

The Prospectors are ranked No. 3 among OSAA’s 2A teams with a 17-4 overall record and 6-0 in league.

On Sept. 25, Grant Union swept the Union Bobcats (8-7 overall, 2-4 league) with scores of 25-16, 25-15 and 25-15.

The Prospectors gained two more league wins on the road Saturday in Pilot Rock, sweeping the Enterprise Outlaws (5-9, 1-5) and the Pilot Rock Rockets (9-9, 3-4).

Grant Union defeated Enterprise with scores of 25-12 and 25-15 in the first two sets, then won a tougher final set 26-24.

“The Enterprise game was a bit more challenging towards the end,” said Grant Union head coach Ali Abrego. “It definitely was a good game for our girls to work on their mental toughness and working on our trust as a team.”

Abrego said seniors Sydney Brockway and Kori Jo Girvin performed well. She said freshman Grace Taylor stepped in as setter in the first two sets and also did well.

The Prospectors had a decisive win over Pilot Rock with scores of 25-17, 25-14 and 25-6.

“Pilot Rock is an older team. Therefore, they were ready to hand us some long rallies,” Abrego said. “Overall, in the last set (25-6) my girls really demonstrated their ability to eliminate errors, and make the other team earn points. Hailie Wright did an outstanding job all day, as well as Trinity Hutchinson.”

Several Prospectors played a role in attacking the ball and placing good serves at the Sept. 25 home game.

“Sydney did a really good job for us tonight, and Taylor Allen had a couple really big plays for us off the right side,” Abrego said, noting Allen has done well switching from outside earlier in the season to right side.

Yui Asami also showed talent and high volleyball IQ, the coach said, “which helps us a lot, especially when she’s in the serving line.”

“We had some aces — I like to call short serves,” Abrego said. “We work a lot on serving short serves in practice, because it’s kind of stressful when you’re in a high-stakes game or when you’re in a league game and you’re working on your undefeated record.”

Prospector McKeely Miller served well in the second set. Union trailed Grant Union by just one point, 11-10, when Miller stepped in for a 7-point serving run.

Abrego said she’s also been pleased to have twin sisters Hailie and Kaylee Wright working together on the team.

“You can’t really describe their connection, other than it’s like ‘twin-tuition,’” she said.

Hailie said she is proud of the team.

“Win by win, we’re improving,” she said. “I thought we all hustled well — making sure we got to the ball when we needed to.”

Grant Union travels to Heppner (11-9, 4-2) Thursday to face the Mustangs at 5 p.m.

On Saturday, the Prospectors travel to Stanfield to play the Stanfield Tigers (11-10, 1-6) at 12 p.m. and the Weston-McEwen TigerScots (18-3, 5-1) at 3 p.m.

Weston-McEwen is ranked No. 2. Grant Union lost 1-2 to the TigerScots early in the season, then beat them 3-0 on Sept. 22.

The Prospectors are on the road on Tuesday, Oct. 9, to face Union at 5 p.m.

Abrego said she expects all the games to be competitive.