PENDLETON – Staying with a nonleague scheduled to start the year, La Grande from a trip to Pendleton with a win and a loss on Thursday, Aug. 31.

The Tigers first took the court against Mountain View. La Grande started quickly, taking a 25-19 win in the first set but dropped the second set 25-15. The third set again went the way of the Tigers as La Grande posted a 25-17 victory.

The fourth set changed the tone of the match as Mountain View won handily, 25-12. The momentum carried over into the final set as the Cougars closed out the match with a 15-12 win.

“We just blew it in the fourth set,” La Grande head coach Melinda Becker-Bisenius said. “We struggled with serve/receive in the fourth set and went down early in the fifth set, 14-7. We battled back but we were just too far behind.”

The fortunes turned for La Grande in its second match against Redmond. The Tigers made quick work of Redmond, winning in straight sets, 25-22, 25-19, 25-23.

“We had worked on defense during practice, and it showed,” Becker-Bisenius said. “Our hitters did a better job against Redmond and we played smarter. I thought we showed better hustle.”

The Tiger coach said critical mistakes at critical points stopped the trip from being a two-win day.

For the day, Rylan Mellinger ended with 11 kills. Aubrey Bisenius also picked up 11 kills and added 18 assists. The Tiger middles also added to the day with Makenna Shaw putting up five kills and eight digs, while Belle Neer added five kills and two service aces. The La Grande libero, Avery Myer, posted 38 digs.

La Grande (3-3 overall) is back on the home court Sept. 6 to host the Grizzlies of Fruitland, Idaho. The first serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.