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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2018
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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SPORTS
IN BRIEF
Banks, Seaside
split games
BANKS — The Seaside
boys soccer team took another
step towards its annual Cowapa
League title with a 3-0 win Thurs-
day afternoon at Banks.
The No. 6-ranked Gulls
improved to 4-0 in league play,
while the Braves are at the bottom,
0-4 in league, 1-8 overall.
Seaside maintains a one-game
lead over Valley Catholic.
While the Seaside boys were
winning on the road, the Banks’
girls soccer team posted a 3-1 win
Thursday over Seaside at Broad-
way Field.
Banks remains one game
behind league-leading Valley
Catholic, while the Gulls slipped
to 0-4 in league play.
Seaside takes on Astoria in a
Clatsop Clash doubleheader Tues-
day at Hal Snow Volunteer Field,
with the first game set to begin at
5:30 p.m.
Jewell sweeps
past Falls City
JEWELL — The Jewell vol-
leyball team drew a little closer to
a top-four finish in league, with a
three-game sweep Thursday night
over Falls City, 25-10, 25-18,
25-20.
The Lady Jays improve to 5-6,
fifth place in the Casco League
standings, one game behind Wil-
lamette Valley Christian.
Jewell has bounced back from
a three-match losing skid by win-
ning two of its last three matches.
The Blue Jays play Tuesday at
last-place C.S. Lewis.
— The Daily Astorian
Perfect Rams
look to continue
early run facing
Seahawks
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
SEATTLE — The last time the
Los Angeles Rams visited Seat-
tle, they were announcing them-
selves as the new powerhouse
in the NFC West by handing the
Seahawks a drubbing unlike any
they had experienced in Pete Car-
roll’s tenure.
UP NEXT: SEAHAWKS
• Los Angeles Rams (4-0)
at Seattle Seahawks (2-2)
• Sunday, 1:25 p.m. TV: FOX
As much as the Seahawks
would like to forget that day last
December, a 42-7 loss to a divi-
sion rival lingers.
Less than a year later, the
Rams are more than just the
favorites of their division. A
quarter through the season, they
may be the prohibitive Super
Bowl favorites. The Rams (4-0)
make their annual trip to Seat-
tle on Sunday looking to take
control of the division just five
weeks into the season.
“I think there’s definitely a lot
of confidence that comes with
playing well and definitely can
get some momentum going, but
I think we’re just executing,”
Rams quarterback Jared Goff
said. “We’ve done a pretty good
job executing.”
And there is little reason not
to believe Los Angeles will be
leaving town with a three-game
lead.
The Rams are scoring an
absurd amount of points, hav-
ing scored at least 33 points in all
four games.
Jeff Ter Har/For The Daily Astorian
Seaside’s Lilli Taylor, left, and Morgan Blodgett challenge an attack by Astoria’s Halle Helmersen.
Astoria tops Seaside in Clatsop Smash
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
T
ied for third in the Cowapa League
standings with 1-3 records is not where
the Astoria and Seaside volleyball teams
expected to be, heading into the second half
of the league season.
But that’s where the two rivals found
themselves Thursday night at the Brick
House, for match No. 5 of the eight-match
league schedule.
The winner would find itself right back
in the race for second place, while the loser
would have some catching up to do.
Astoria’s Kes Sandstrom hammered out
16 kills, and the Fishermen completed their
regular-season sweep over the Gulls with a
three-game sweep, 25-19, 25-21, 25-16.
Astoria improves to 2-3 in league, while
Seaside drops to 1-4.
The win comes five days after Seaside
defeated Astoria in a best two-of-three match
in a tournament at Hood River.
While the Gulls had a win Tuesday over
Banks (which swept sixth-ranked Tillamook
on Thursday), the Fishermen had the day off,
giving Astoria an opportunity to regroup.
“We had a bye (Tuesday), and that gave
us a chance to sort of re-focus and prepare
ourselves,” said Astoria coach Jessie Todd.
“This can definitely give us some momentum.
It was a good way to start the second half of
league.”
The Fishermen led from start to finish in
Game 1, building a 13-5 lead behind some
early kills and a block by Kelsey Fausett, a
cross-court shot from Taja-Rae Tuimato, and
Tuimato’s sets to Halle Helmersen and Kes
Sandstrom for kills off the block.
Seaside battled back to within 15-13, but
Astoria outscored the Gulls 10-6 from there,
with Tuimato setting Julia Norris for a kill at
game point.
The Gulls held their only leads in Game 2,
at 6-4, 7-5 and 9-7.
Astoria charged back with long serving
runs by Helmersen and Norris, who turned a
16-12 lead into a 22-12 advantage, capped by
two straight kills from Fausett.
“Kelsey is playing very confident and
very sure of herself,” Todd said. “She’s play-
ing good defense and reading the ball really
well.”
Fausett finished with 26 digs and six kills.
Again, the Gulls rallied in Game 2 and
Epic rally sends Warrenton past Willamina
The Daily Astorian
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
Football — Tillamook at Astoria, 7
p.m.; Molalla at Seaside, 7 p.m.; Neah-
Kah-Nie at Knappa, 7 p.m.; Vernonia at
Warrenton, 7 p.m.; Jewell at Eddyville,
4:30 p.m.; Ilwaco at Ocosta, 7 p.m.;
Neah Bay at Naselle, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Volleyball — Knappa at Columbia
Christian, 5 p.m.
pulled to within 23-21 after a pair of Astoria
attacks sailed over the back line, coupled with
an ace by Tori Tomlin and Anna Huddleston’s
set to Ellisa Blodgett for a kill.
But Astoria called a timeout to regroup,
scored the next point and won a long rally at
game point for a two-match lead.
The third game was never close, as Hailey
O’Brien’s long serving run helped the Fisher-
men grab a 14-3 lead.
The Astoria advantage reached 23-12,
after a cross-court kill by Fausett, an off-
speed shot by Kajsa Jackson, and Sandstrom’s
“thunder kill,” as described by public address
announcer Dan Foss.
Big saves and digs by both teams led to
several long rallies — most of which were
won by Astoria.
“It’s clear that both teams are conditioned
for that, and tonight we pushed each other
into some pretty long rallies,” Todd said.
“(The rallies) got a little intense, and they’re a
little sweeter when you get the point.”
Astoria’s Kajsa Jackson had eight kills and
three blocks, while O’Brien finished with 26
digs and five ace serves. Julia Norris added 17
assists, Halle Helmersen had 21 digs, and Tui-
mato had 14 assists.
Bruce Dustin/For The Daily Astorian
Warrenton’s Fernanda Alvarez goes up for an attack in the fifth and
deciding game.
WARRENTON — Looking to
score some revenge for a three-game
loss at Willamina Sept. 18 — and to
jump right back into the league title
race — the Warrenton volleyball team
rallied from a two-game deficit for a
five-set win Thursday night over the
Bulldogs.
The Warriors’ 13-25, 24-26, 25-21,
25-22, 15-9 victory gives Warren-
ton a 4-2 league record, just a half-
game behind Willamina’s 4-1 record
atop the Coastal Range League stand-
ings. Rainier is also 4-1, and the War-
riors can jump past the Columbians
with a win over Rainier next Tuesday
at Warrenton.
With their win Thursday night, the
Warriors once again made themselves
a serious contender for the league title,
even after their 1-2 start to the league
season.
“There were multiple long rallies
in every game,” said Warrenton coach
Staci Miethe of Thursday’s match. “It
truly was one of the most fun matches I
have watched and certainly been a part
of. The crowd was an amazing source
of energy and we fed on that.
“They have been showing great
support all season, but being home-
coming it was even more electric.
Everyone had a big part in the win.”
The Warriors lost the first game by
12 points, but that would be the best
Willamina could do. The Bulldogs
pulled out the narrow Game 2 win,
before Warrenton rallied to win the
next three.
“We started slow, which seems to be
a bit of a pattern for us,” Miethe said.
“We missed at least six serves. After
that (second) game we were able to
establish some significant leads, with
great serving and the best defense of
the season.”
Additionally, she said, “Fernanda
(Alvarez) had an epic game at the net.
She dominated. Not only with her
heavy hitting, but with smart tip place-
ment and chips.”
Claire Bussert “was a defensive
all-star,” Miethe said. “She has been
playing stellar defense, but tonight
she stepped it up and everyone else
followed.”
Alvarez was 13-of-15 serving,
36-for-40 on attacks (97 percent) with
17 kills. She was also 17-for-17 pass-
ing with nine digs, three saves and nine
blocks, with seven block kills.
Bussert was 18-of-21 at the service
line, and 23-for-24 on attacks with three
kills. She added 10 saves, nine digs and
five blocks, with four block kills.
Avyree Miethe led the way at the
service line, 26-for-27 with six aces.
She also had 14 digs, six kills and six
saves.
Natalie Oseguera added four blocks
and four block kills, and Melia Kapua
finished with 17 digs and 10 saves.