Union-Bulletin

WALLA WALLA - Wenatchee Valley could have played on a world stage Wednesday night against Walla Walla Community College at the Dietrich Dome.

Or so said Warrior coach Tim Toon after the three-set loss.

"Wenatchee is a very good team, but we made them look like the Olympic team tonight," Toon said of the Warrior's 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-20) NWAACC East Division match loss.

The Warriors' performance was poor enough to entice Toon to call for an extended evening for the WWCC players.

"It has been almost eight years since I made a team stay and practice after a match," Toon said. "That's exactly what we did. Our season is on the line and we need to figure out how to win.

"Next week will give us a good opportunity to get going - playing three matches in the (Dietrich) Dome."

The Warriors host Walla Walla University Monday, Columbia Basin Wednesday and Big Bend on Friday.

Wednesday night, Laekynn Culpepper stood out for the Warriors with two aces and four digs.

"I'm proud of the way Laekynn Culpepper player," Toon said. "She was the shining star in our serve receive and played her guts out."

Nikki Long had 11 kills for WWCC, Brittany Dominguez and eight kills, Sharsti Goff recorded 15 assists and seven digs, and Danielle Meehan four kills and six digs.

"The tipping point of the match was the way we lost game two," Toon said. "We were in control most of the way and made a series of errors that cost us the game. After that loss, we didn't have enough fight in us to compete very well in game three."

Wenatchee Valley is now 2-0 in league play, while the Warriors fall to 0-3.