PREP VOLLEYBALL: Bulldogs sweep Lakeland for 4A Region 1 championship

SANDPOINT — First the good news: No. 1 seed Sandpoint looked sharp in all phases of the game, dispatching No. 2 seed Lakeland 25-16, 25-10, 25-12 on Saturday in the 4A Region 1 volleyball tournament championship game at Les Rogers Court.

Now the bad news: The Bulldogs’ first round opponent next Thursday at the 4A state tournament in Idaho Falls is none other than Century, winners of the past six state titles.

If you think the Bulldogs (21-12) are scared in the least bit, you don’t know the hunger of four-year starter Laney Search, or the firepower of senior Kayla Neumann, or the resolve of head coach Erin Roos, a former setter at the University of Michigan who has built a mentally and physically tough team.

Roos was asked how she liked her team’s chances against Century, which she thinks is more beatable than in past years.

“I think it’s more realistic that we can take them,” said a confident Roos, who has built the strongest team in Sandpoint since their last state title in 2008. “There’s much better team chemistry. They all understand how to focus and want the same thing.”

Senior setter Laney Search, as she often does, posted a triple double with 10 aces, 20 assists, 13 digs and six kills, and started the second set with a 10-point service run.

The four-year starter is one of the more versatile players in the state, and was on the past two teams that went to state but failed to win a match. She feels this team has a chance to do some damage in the bracket.

“I think we can go pretty far,” said Search, who will play for George Fox University next season. “We have a really good defense and hitting, and the ability to stay connected to the point.”

Neumann supplied the firepower against the Hawks, ripping 13 kills to go with five digs. Grace Hicks added five kills, Shelby Kluver seven digs and McCalee Cain 10 assists and five digs.

Cain had two diving digs on back-to-back shots in one rally, as the Bulldogs’ defense was stingy and efficient. Cheyenne Nicholson had a big service run to break open the third set, as the Hawks (13-18) fell behind early in each set.

Mattisyn Cope had 10 kills, 12 digs and two blocks, Brooke Mayberry 16 assists and Jalyn Mailhot nine assists in defeat for the Hawks, who won a tough five-set match over No. 3 Moscow in the loser-out match on Thursday.

“We’re trying hard, and came a long ways. At the end of the day, the other gals were more prepared,” said Lakeland coach Adriano de Souza. “We’ll do better next year. I’m glad we were here to compete.”

Neumann said it was good to bring the title back for the town of Sandpoint, feeling like the team let everyone down last year after missing out on state for the first time in a decade. The team took part in rigorous workouts at the beach when the season started, then jogged back to the high school for practice. The hard work paid off with the best season in years.

“It wasn’t just one person, we all contributed,” said Neumann, who likes her team’s chances after going two and out in her last trip to state. “We all need to be on the same page if we want to do something. I think we can do something down there.”

To get ready for a showdown with Century, Roos plans to focus on defense at practice this week.

“Buckle down this week and work on blocking,” she said. “We’ll face some faster offenses.”