Erin Beil, Grant Union junior varsity volleyball coach gives her team pointers during a timeout on Tuesday, Sept. 28. 

JOHN DAY — Grant Union’s junior varsity volleyball team defeated the Dayville/Monument varsity squad 3-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 28, in a nonconference tilt.

Grant Union is a 2A school that plays in the Blue Mountain Conference, while 1A Dayville/Monument competes in the High Desert League.

In a seesaw game where the Tigers were up by as much as five points, the Lady Pros came away from the match with the win.

Triela Smith, Dayville/Monument’s head volleyball coach, said her team has good instincts but needs more playing time.

Smith told the newspaper that Grant Union’s junior varsity team is fun to play and she was glad her team had the chance to play the Lady Pros.

Katelyn Barker, Dayville/Monument senior, said the Tigers made good serves but struggled with their transitioning. By the time they made adjustments and got into a groove, it was too late to bring the matches back.

Barker said the team learned some important lessons the Tigers can bring to the squad’s next couple of games.

Aubreianna Osborne, a senior, said the Tigers are a young team and the most important thing for the team is to keep learning. The Tigers, Osborne said, are not yet at a level where they can win many games against teams like Grant Union’s junior varsity.

“Learning and improving is what’s most important,” Osborne said.

With a team culture that values learning and growing over winning and losing, Barker and Osborne said, the team’s freshmen are eager to improve.

“They do the best they can, and they try really hard,” Osborne said.

For her part, Bethany Wilburn, a freshman, said the seniors have been very supportive and she is learning and growing with the team.

“We try to be the older sisters,” Barker said, “like what we wish we had when we were freshmen.”