Cain, Search lead Bulldogs to big sweep

MOSCOW — Laney Search had a big night, hitting a whopping 52 percent on her team-high 14 kills, while adding 18 sets, eight digs and six aces to lead Sandpoint to a 25-12, 25-22, 27-25 sweep of Moscow in 4A Inland Empire League volleyball late Thursday night at the Bear Den.

McCalee Cain led the team with 20 assists, which frees up Search to get more swings in the attack, and also had a strong serving night with four aces, as the Bulldogs (20-12, 4-0 4A IEL) clinched the No. 1 seed and home court advantage at the district tournament.

A lot of Bulldogs got in on the action, with Shelby Kluver adding 14 digs, Kayla Neumann 13 kills, Kaitlan Ward 10 digs, Grace Hicks seven kills, Grace Kirscher three blocks and Cheyenne Nicholson eight digs and three aces in the win.

“Great win on the road. Moscow is a challenging place to play, not only the drive, but also the crowd. This was definitely a team win. Different players contributed in many areas,” said Bulldog head coach Erin Roos. “McCalee had a fantastic serving night. Kayla and Laney led the attack, steady passing and defense by Kaitlan, Cheyenne, Lilly (Anderson) and Shelby.”

The No. 1 seed Bulldogs will await the winner of No. 2 Moscow and No. 3 Lakeland, which play in a loser-out game on Thursday, Oct. 20 in the 4A Region 1 playoff opener. The championship match will start at 1 p.m. at Les Rogers Court on Saturday, Oct. 22.