Columbia Basin needed only three sets to dispatch Spokane on Wednesday night, but the middle set told the real story of how complete this Hawks team has become. After controlling the opener 25-15 behind clean, efficient swings, Columbia Basin found itself in a dogfight in set two — and answered emphatically.
Spokane built a 24-19 cushion in that second set, one point from forcing a fourth. Instead, the Hawks reeled off six straight to close it out 26-24, with setter Yahairi Sanchez orchestrating the finish and Addisen Ford and Lexi Rupel supplying the finishing touches at the net. Any hope Spokane had of stealing momentum evaporated in that stretch, and Columbia Basin never let it return, closing with a 25-10 statement in the third.
The numbers back up the eye test. Columbia Basin hit .245 as a team across the match, more than a full swing better than Spokane's -.020, and that gap only widened as the night went on — the Hawks hit .310 in the decisive third set while the Sasquatch managed just -.148. Rupel was the most efficient weapon on the floor, hammering 12 kills on just two errors for a .526 clip, while Ford added seven kills to go with a match-high six blocks. Eva Biladeau chipped in six kills and a pair of block assists, and Jacque Williams was nearly as sharp as Rupel, hitting .364 with five kills.
Up front, the Hawks controlled the net all night, finishing with 11 total blocks to Spokane's five — a difference that showed up most in that second-set turnaround, when Columbia Basin's block started forcing errors at exactly the moments Spokane needed a clean swing. Sanchez ran the offense with 29 assists and also chipped in defensively, while Adalei Lefebvre paced the back row with 11 digs to go with four kills.
It wasn't Columbia Basin's cleanest match at the service line — nine errors against just three aces — but the Hawks made up for it everywhere else, out-digging Spokane 45-33 and limiting the Sasquatch to a combined 21 kills on the night against their own 38.
The result pushes Columbia Basin to 2-0 in conference play and 9-7 overall. They will head to Wenatchee Valley to take on the Knights this Friday with first serve at 6pm.
