Tonasket senior April Webber dug deep to return the ball to Chelan during Tonasket’s home loss on Tuesday, Sept. 22.Photo by Terry Mills

OKANOGAN – The Tonasket volleyball team is still searching for their first league win after ending their third week of play with losses at home and away.

On Tuesday, Sept. 22, Tonasket lost at home to Chelan in three matches of 25-9, 25-13 and 25-8. Amber Kilpatrick served seven of seven with one kill, Jessica Rhoads served seven of eight with two kills and Devan Utt made three blocks and two kills.

“Chelan looked pretty awesome,” Nellie Kirk, head coach, said. “It was really hard to get anything going. The one thing I can say about the Tonasket girls is they did not give up; they kept their spirits up and did the best they could. They all said after the match that it was a good learning experience.”

Rhoads said she thinks the team plays better when they are playing a hard team.

“We have a lot to work on, but we play alright,” Rhoads added. “I think we need to probably work on staying down more and covering the court more.”

On Thursday, Sept. 24, Tonasket finished their week with an away loss to Okanogan in three matches of 25-12, 25-23 and 25-9. Rhoads served six of six and had three kills while Jayden Hawkins served seven of eight.

“Sometimes we do not appreciate the mental aspect of a match,” Kirk said. “If things are not going your way in the match it becomes even harder to turn it around. Tonasket girls are working hard and improving on their skills every day. They need to believe in themselves.”

As of press time, the Tigers (0-5 in league) had not yet played at home against Omak. They next play at home against Cashmere on Thursday, Oct. 1. The team also has a home match on Tuesday, Oct. 6 against Cascade.