Battle Ground volleyball avenges lone loss to Camas

CAMAS – Like recalling a bad dream, the Battle Ground volleyball team gets a little edgy when you mention its only defeat of the season.

“We don’t like to talk about it,” junior Hana Wyles said. “That has motivated us all season.”

That’s why Battle Ground didn’t need a wakeup call when the chance came Thursday to avenge that loss to Camas.

The Tigers swept the host Papermakers 3-0 to take a big step toward winning the 4A Greater St. Helens League title. The set scores were 25-19, 29-27 and 25-16.

Battle Ground (11-1, 9-1) lost to Camas 3-1 on Sept. 29. It’s not just the Tigers’ lone defeat of the season, it’s the only match outside of tournament play in which they’ve lost a set.

Battle Ground can clinch the league title by winning its final two matches next week against Heritage and Union.

Camas (10-4, 9-2) has one match left against Evergreen. With a win, the Papermakers would clinch at least second place.

Beyond pride, winning the league title carries more weight in this year’s district tournament. The league champion gets protection in its first district match. Even with a loss, it would still play for the district title in its next match.

The No. 2 seed opens with a loser-out match. Depending on what happens with other teams, the No. 2 seed must win another one or two matches to claim the district title.

With the stakes high and the Camas bleachers full, Battle Ground’s best player made an instant impact. Returning GSHL player of the year Brooke Van Sickle had 11 of her 23 kills in the first set, which the Tigers won 25-19.

“It sets a pace for everybody,” senior Autumn Mayo said. “When we get Brooke attacking really hard in the beginning, it shows them who’s boss.”

Van Sickle set the tone, but she didn’t do it alone. Battle Ground needed everyone’s help to survive a roller-coaster second set.

Camas tied the set at 22 behind three straight aces by Colleen McAvoy. Each team then fended off two set points before Battle Ground prevailed 29-27.

Battle Ground rode that emotional wave through the third set, which it won 25-16.

“I think they wanted it really bad,” McAvoy said. “We beat them in their gym, so they wanted to beat us in ours. They weren’t going to go down without a battle.”

A big difference Thursday was Battle Ground setter Ashley Watkins, who missed the first match against Camas due to a concussion. The University of Montana commit had 12 kills, 20 assists and five digs.

“As soon as she got back healthy and we got back into our rhythm and our system, we were going to be just fine,” Battle Ground coach Cheyanne Knight said.

Mayo added nine kills and five digs. Wyles, the libero, had 19 digs.

Knight said it was crucial for Battle Ground not to rely just on Van Sickle, who also had 22 assists and seven digs.

“All week long we’ve been working on spreading out our offense and running some more combination plays,” she said. “They last time we played Camas, they stacked their block on Brooke.”

And now the odds are stacked in Battle Ground’s favor when it comes to winning the 4A GSHL title.

BATTLE GROUND 3, CAMAS 0
25-19, 29-27, 25-16
Camas
Highlights — Anna Roche 4 Kills, 1 block; Erika Weber- 6 service points, 3 assists, 12 digs; Halle Sessions 7 digs; Keelie Leblanc 4 service point, 14 kills, 3 digs; Colleen McAvoy 6 service points, 5 kills, 1 block, 2 digs; Aubrey Stanton 4 service points, 2 kills, 20 assists, 9 digs.
Battle Ground
Highlights — Brooke Van Sickle 23 kills, 22 assists, 3 blocks, 7 digs; Ashley Watkins 12 kills, 20 assists 5 digs; Nattali Baiar 1 kill, i block, 5 digs; Kimberly Lesley 6 kills, 3 digs; Autumn Mayo 9 kills, 2 blocks, 5 digs; Kylie Smith 4 kills, 2 blocks.
JV —Camas 3-0; C — Camas 3-0.