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Battle Mountain spikers clinch title … again

Chris Freud

RIFLE – Nicole Penwill, Allie O’Connor, Kendra Havlik and Sarah Simmons all missed Saturday’s volleyball game at Rifle because they were taking their SATs. In that spirit, Battle Mountain:a) pounded the living daylights out of the Bears, 25-12, 25-12, 25-5.b) clinched its second straight 4A Slope title.c) earned the right to host the District 7 Tournament Oct. 28d) got to celebrate its title with the soccer team which also clinched Saturday.The answer was e) all of the above.”It’s a great feeling to be back-to-back league champions,” setter Britney Brown said. “It wasn’t our best game, but it’s a good feeling to be league champs again.””It’s a great honor for the girls,” Huskies coach Brian Doyon said. “No. 1, it’s respect from the league. It’s also the first reward for all the hard work and great effort they’ve put in.”But even at 15-1 overall and 12-0, the Huskies are not done yet.”I don’t want to clinch the league (title),” Doyon said. “I want to sweep it.”After a nonconference tilt on the roadwith Jefferson Tuesday, the Huskies can do so by winning at Steamboat Springs Thursday and at home against Moffat County.A timeout?With Sydney Nichols arriving from her SAT just minutes before game time and the Huskies juggling their lineup because of other absences, Battle Mountain actually trailed Rifle, 9-4, in the first game.In a rarely-seen moment, Doyon actually called a timeout to reorganize his charges. The Huskies promptly went on a 21-3 run to win the game, and eventually, the match.With SAT absences, Doyon got to tinker with his lineup. Kori Landauer, Annie Marcum, Jennifer Thul and Alexis Corcoran all made significant contributions.”We are definitely a strong team all around,” Brown said “Even though we had players missing, different girls stepped up and we were able to play our game.”Crystin Rodrick certainly did. For some reason, Rifle opted not to block Battle Mountain’s outside hitters. This is generally not a wise idea when No. 7 is on the other side of the net.Rodrick had 10 kills on 17 attacks and did not have a hitting error. Sofia Lindroth was also her usual self, pounding the ball into submission.Though the focus is on the final games of the regular season, the Huskies have earned the right to host the District 7 Tournament Oct. 28 at The Doghouse. Having had the honor last year, the Huskies are looking forward to it again.”It is amazing to host,” Rodrick said. “Last year, we had our own camp out in the weight room. People from all over the school came throughout the day to watch. It’s definitely good to have home court. It’s a definite advantage.”Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 748-2934 or cfreud@vaildaily.com.Vail, Colorado


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