黑料福利社

Naches Valley鈥檚 seniors can proudly say they went out on a high note.

No, the Rangers aren鈥檛 state champions. But they鈥檙e the only other team in Class 1A to win its final three matches at the SunDome after earning a second consecutive seventh-place trophy Saturday afternoon.

鈥淚 was happy with our performance all the way through,鈥� said senior and SCAC West MVP Macey Martin. 鈥淚 always stay confident in my team and we鈥檝e never let down on each other this whole season.鈥�

Coach Sherri Partlow credited her players for keeping their focus after a tough opening-round loss and cruising to sweeps over La Center and No. 6 Freeman on Saturday. As usual, Martin led the way, totaling 38 kills, 25 digs and four aces on 28-of-28 serving.

Three other seniors and a core group of juniors kept the Rangers determined to finish strong, even when they ran into a Freeman team that beat them two sets to one at a tournament in Spokane at the end of September. Naches Valley fell behind early before taking control midway through the first set and never really let the Scotties back into the match.

鈥淲e鈥檝e played them before and they come back,鈥� Partlow said. 鈥淭hey are such a tenacious team. They fight, so we wanted to keep on top of them.鈥�

Martin said Naches Valley seemed to clearly have more energy than Freeman, who knocked off No. 1 Lakeside in a five-set loser-out match Saturday morning. The Scotties used one final burst to score three straight points and take an 11-10 lead in the third set before the Rangers roared back with six straight points and 10 of the next 13.

Junior Sitlali Cortez served during that 6-0 run and contributed seven aces for the day to go along with 18 kills and 14 digs. Sophomore Elizabeth Anderson added 19 kills and six aces, while junior Danielle Shaul led the defense with 34 digs.

A 25-21, 25-19, 25-13 win over La Center Saturday morning assured Naches Valley of its fifth trophy in school history and third in the last three years. Four seniors will graduate next spring, but Partlow said the return of four starters plus the addition of a solid young group gives her confidence the Rangers can get back to the Dome.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an irreplaceable experience,鈥� Partlow said.

The same adjective could be used for Martin, who Partlow said did everything for the Naches Valley in her four years as a starter. She couldn鈥檛 hold back the tears following the end of her high school career, and she certainly didn鈥檛 try to hold back her smile from another successful day.

鈥淚t鈥檚 nice,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been an awesome opportunity playing with all these girls throughout high school, so (it) ended well.鈥�

Goldendale saw its tournament end in a 20-25, 25-11, 25-20, 25-20 loss to Castle Rock in a loser-out match Saturday.

Naches Valley highlights: Macey Martin 38 kills, 25 digs, 28-28 serving, 4 aces; Elizabeth Anderson 19 kills, 4 blocks, 31-32 serving, 6 aces; Cortez 18 kills, 14 digs, 34-35 serving, 7 aces; Cheyenn Burchers 27-28 serving, 4 aces, 17 digs; Jolal Forbes 29-31 serving, 4 aces, 64 assists; Danielle Shaul 34 digs, 21 perfect passes; Isabelle Cuevas 23-23 serving.

Goldendale highlights: Sierra Plum 39 assists, 2 kills, 20 digs, 20-21 serving, 2 aces; Abby Mains 25 kills, 4 digs; Allison Gilliam 14-14 serving, 17 perfect passes, 13 digs, 3 kills, 4 blocks; Talia Johnson 11-11 serving, 26 perfect passes, 26 digs; Alyssa Weis 6 kills, 19 perfect passes, 18 digs, 11-11 serving; Taylor Rising 12-12 serving, 6 perfect passes, 5 digs, 5 kills; Tori Tallman 6 kills, 6 digs, 1 block; Delaney Peters 1 kill, 1 dig.