PREP VOLLEYBALL: Lake City topples Vikings

COEUR d'ALENE - With a first-year coach and some newer players in key positions, the Lake City Timberwolves came up with a big 5A Inland Empire League volleyball victory Thursday night.

Freshman outside hitter Ashley Kaufman totaled 13 kills, 23 digs and two aces, and Lake City knocked off the visiting - and even more shorthanded - Coeur d'Alene Vikings 25-13, 25-27, 25-22, 25-20 to remain in first place in the league.

"Serving and passing," Lake City coach Brian Hosfeld said of the keys to the victory. "I think that was a big difference for us to get our middles involved, and try to make them have to work to defend us. And on the other end, I thought there were times when we got them in trouble, where we had an idea where the ball was going to go."

Junior middle blocker Nina Carlson added six kills, seven blocks and two aces for Lake City 14-2, 3-0 5A IEL). Arlaina Stephenson chipped in eight kills, and freshman Klaire Mitchell had 25 assists.

Coeur d'Alene (11-2, 1-1) played without senior outside hitter Missy Huddleston, who injured her right ankle at Saturday's Lakeland Invitational. The Viks are awaiting results of an MRI. She attended Thursday's match on crutches, as did setter/outside hitter Megan Ramseyer, the University of Idaho commit who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the Vikings' third match of the season.

Still, Coeur d'Alene had it's moments, particularly junior middle blocker Sydney Bybee, who took over the second set at the net. She totaled six kills and three blocks in the game, the lone one won by the Vikings, last year's state runners-up.

Bybee finished with 15 kills and seven blocks. Ali Williams, now splitting time between setter and outside hitter, added 15 kills, 20 assists and three aces. Isabella Hollibaugh had 16 assists, Maura Donovan 16 digs and two aces, Zoe Burgess 11 digs.

"It was good for the other players to have to step up, not rely on a star player; they all had to contribute," Coeur d'Alene assistant coach Jackie Stotz said. "This is going to help us at the end of the season when we're going to have to rely on all our players; it's not going to be one player that will win it for us. So it's great experience and a great time to learn it at this point in the season."

Kaufman, Carlson and Stephenson each had three kills as Lake City played a clean first set as the Vikings struggled with ball control.

Senior Macy DuCoeur had three kills in the third set as the Timberwolves seized the momentum back. In the fourth, Lake City jumped out to a 17-9 lead and held off the Vikings for the win.

"It (the win) can't hurt us, in terms of feeling good about what we're doing," Hosfeld said. "I thought we played really well at the beginning of the season, when everything was new and we were moving around pretty well. We kind of hit a lull, with as many matches as we were playing, things started getting a little bit harder, but I thought we got back into it, and were moving a lot better tonight. Definitely a good step against a good team, and always good to beat the other team in town, especially when they've had so much success."

Next Tuesday, Coeur d'Alene travels to Lewiston, and Lake City visits Lakeland.