Volleyball: Superior downs short-handed Arlee in season opener

ARLEE - Arlee was without their starting setter in their season opener against Superior and fell 3-0 in Arlee last Friday night, 25-10, 25-16, 25-20.

"The setter is just as important as a pointguard for a basketball team," Arlee head coach Brian BigSam said. "They're one of the main players on the court. If you have a good setter, chances are you have a good team."

Courtney Dix, who had been recovering from a sickness during the summer, was slated to be the setter for the Scarlets but the team learned on Thursday that she wasn't cleared to play yet. That meant the lineup had to be shuffled and some players were playing next to people they weren't use to.

"That was an adjustment that was hard," BigSam said. "We didn't do as good as we wanted to against Superior."

Superior, which just moved down from Class B to C, got six digs and 10 assists from Cary Chamberlain in the win.

Arlee saw production from senior Becca Nelson, who had five kills, two blocks and four aces for the Scarlets.

Defensively, the team saw great play as both Mahalia Hendren and Skyla Perry had seven digs and the team had 24 overall. Baily Rice also got 11 assists while stepping in for Dix.

"They just need to have some confidence," BigSam said. "We just need to get over the jitters from the first game."