Finley Parcher led Lynden with 13 kills and two blocks and the Lions defended their home court in front of a packed crowd during a four-set win (25-17, 23-25, 25-12, 25-18) over rival Lynden Christian on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
“It is so awesome,” Parcher said. “The Lynden community is so special and it is great to have them all come out tonight.”
Lynden came out firing, scoring the first five points in the first set. Lynden Christian tried to respond but Parcher dominated at the net to keep the Lyncs off balance throughout the night.
The Lions extended its lead to 21-11 after the Lyncs had several attacking errors. The Lyncs made a final push to make it 21-16 with a couple of kills from Danya Dykstra. But Lynden’s Sarah McVie picked up a kill and Parcher got an ace to finish the first set.
Gallery: Lynden volleyball tops Lynden Christian
Neither team led more than four points in the second set. The Lyncs had the largest lead at 4-0 with a couple of kills from Ella DeJong, but Lynden reclaimed the lead at 9-8 when the Lyncs had an attacking error.
Both teams battled back and forth, switching the lead six times before the Lyncs took over at 23-22. Parriera picked up an ace and Dykstra got the winning kill in the second set.
“Through the ups and downs, we trusted each other and kept playing through it all,” Parcher said.
Lynden dominated in the third set. Both teams were tied at 12-12 when the Lions reeled off 13 straight points to win the set. During that span, Rian Stephan had three kills, Lexi Hermanut had a kill and block and Campbell DeJong had three aces.
“Our back row does such a great job setting up the offense,” Parcher said.
The Lyncs and Lions were tied at 10-10 in the fourth set before the Lions took the momentum and ran away with the match, securing the victory from a Lyncs’ error.
“We have been playing a lot better together and communicating but we can keep elevating our game and combine together,” Parcher said.
Lynden (11-2, 11-1 Northwest Conference) hosts Oak Harbor at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24. Lynden Christian (8-6, 7-5 NWC) heads to Burlington-Edison for a 7 p.m. match Thursday.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
