Arlee volleyball off to hot start
<p>Alexis Shick had 10 kills in Arlee's win over Mission on Friday.</p>
ARLEE — Coach Brian BigSam’s Arlee Scarlets opened up the 2013 season with an impressive four-set win over Mission.
“I’m very happy,” BigSam said. “The girls just played great.”
The Scarlets (1-0) scratched out a 25-27, 25-21, 16-25, 25-22 win behind the strong arms of Violet Pablo and Alexis Shick. Pablo notched 12 kills and six aces, and Shick dominated the net with 10 kills and five blocks.
She single-handedly closed the final game out for Arlee, blocking three would-be Mission attacks on a single play before grounding the game winner.
Bailey Rice and Amelia North facilitated the Arlee offense, dishing out 14 and nine assists, respectively.
Morgan Malatare and Pablo led the Scarlets defense. Malatare notched 11 digs while Pablo tallied eight.
Despite the loss, Mission (0-1) coach Kendal Anderson was excited about what she saw from her young team as well.
Anderson had to replace three all-conference contributors from last season.
“Compared to what I expected, I’m very happy about today,” Anderson said.
She got a game-high 12 kills from middle/outside hitter Lindsay Johnson. Johnson also collected five blocks.
Both the Scarlets and Bulldogs are in league action Thursday. Arlee will host Charlo while Mission hosts Ronan.