Everett swings past OC in v-ball opener

"Tobie Moore said she saw a lot of momentum swings during her Olympic College volleyball team's home opener Wednesday night at Bremer Student Center.But there was only one that mattered.The Rangers, looking to open their Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) North Division schedule on a winning note, opened a 10-0 lead in their first game against the Trojans. After Everett finally got on the board, OC jumped ahead to 14-7, with Bina Hall serving the first of seven game points.Then the momentum swung away from Moore's team. And it never really came back.The Trojans wriggled out of their first-game predicament to win 18-16, then closed out the best-of-five sweep with 15-10 and 15-7 wins.Despite the loss, Moore - who took over the team in mid-summer, after the recruiting season already had come and gone - was upbeat about the play of her young team, which includes only two returners.I'm pleased when they progress, and that's what they did tonight, she said. I thought we played really well.Then she grinned self-consciously and added, If there's one thing I need to teach them, though, it's when you get somebody on the ropes, you want to take it to them.Everett certainly seemed on the ropes at several times in the opening game, most notably when North Kitsap freshman Hall dropped an ace down the sideline for a 14-7 lead. But the Trojans got a clutch kill from Courtney Miller and avoided four more game points before they pulled into a 15-14 lead on back-to-back OC errors. Megan Lynn, another NK product and one of Moore's two second-year players, aced the game back even, but served game point into the net for a side-out that opened the door for Everett to close things out.Swing. Swang. Swung.OC pulled from behind to tie the second game at 9-all, and led briefly in the third before losing contact. But the Rangers never really made a cohesive run at winning a game after the missed opportunity in the opener.Moore attributed some of her team's malaise to the fact that the Rangers hadn't played an actual match in more than two weeks. Because of the rescheduling of its Bellevue match, OC has last been in action back on Sept. 11.We've been doing nothing but practicing for two weeks, she conceded. We could've used that (Bellevue) match.Moore also said the Rangers are sorting out, on the floor, who among all the new talent is going to settle into the leadership role. Too often against the Trojans, easy chances - even free balls - fell to the floor while two or three Rangers watched, no one taking charge.Late arrival Stella Sebastian, a versatile veteran from Port Townsend, will help, and perhaps even emerge as the take-charge player that's needed to keep the floor clean. Against Everett, though, it was clear she was still getting accustomed to her new teammates, and they her. "

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