黑料福利社

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - It looked like Selah's volleyball team was heading into a tailspin that was unrecoverable Saturday night. Fresh off an agonizing five-game semifinal loss to the eventual champion, the Vikings then dropped the first game of their season finale.

But then this crew did what all Selah volleyball teams have done - rediscover the resolve and win all the toughest points on the floor.

Inspired by becoming a part of the program's deep and expansive legacy, the Vikings regrouped, rallied and romped away with a four-game victory over Sehome to claim the third-place trophy in the Class 2A state tournament at Pierce College.

"It was heartbreaking to lose to Tumwater (in the semifinal), especially in five and to be so close, but we are a close team and we've come so far - I knew we would come back and play our best," said senior setter Madison Jewett. "After we talked about the loss we laughed and we danced. We were excited to play again."

Once Selah's defense adjusted to Sehome's hitting schemes by the second game, the Vikings took control and then punctuated the season with a huge fourth game in the 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-11 victory.

"Wow, 25-11, that was amazing," said Selah's second-year coach Meggie Powell. "I was worried after that first game and I was a little concerned about our body language. But thank goodness our floor defense showed up. We were incredible in that last game."

Junior libero Carly Davis had 31 digs against the big-swinging Mariners, who were ranked second all season. Sehome placed fourth here last year when Selah failed to qualify, which had only happened once before in 23 years.

"We're a really mentally tough team with a great group of leaders, which is a lot different from last year," said senior Payton Gibbs. "This season was about redemption, working hard together and getting back to where we should be. Third place is great so we achieved those goals."

Most of the firepower came from a reliable source - senior Kerista Goodpaster, who clubbed 24 kills and worked the backrow as well with 20 digs. Gibbs backed that effort with 10 kills and 14 digs.

Selah's senior setting tandem of Jewett and Molly Cavanaugh combined for 40 assists.

Goodpaster keyed the second game that turned the tide, putting away eight kills and adding an ace. In the third and fourth games, Jewett and Cavanaugh mixed in other hitters and the blocking game ramped up. In the final decisive game, Gibbs unleashed an eight-point serving run that ended with Selah up 16-5.

A finish like that was impressive considering the up-and-down swings endured during the marathon against Tumwater, which overcame Selah's 10-5 lead in the final game to 15. In the third game, the Vikings trailed 18-10 only to rally for a 2-1 lead.

When Tumwater won the second game to draw even at 1-1, it snapped Selah's remarkable streak of 31 straight games won - a run that spanned five weeks and included a quarterfinal sweep over defending champion Burlington-Edison, which came back for a fifth-place trophy.

"After the Tumwater loss, I said we can't rely on being the Cinderella story any more," Powell said. "We're not going from missing state to a state championship in one year, but we're still here and we have a whole match ahead of us. Let's finish like Selah volleyball finishes."

In doing so, the Vikings added a 23rd trophy to the program's heavy history. And this is top-of-the-line hardware - 17 trophies are for placing first, second or third. This team finished with a 27-3 season record that included a 26-match win streak.

"I knew we weren't done," Gibbs said of regrouping after the Tumwater loss. "It really was heartbreaking and we were upset, but we have great chemistry and we were excited to play again. I couldn't be happier with the way we finished."

After surviving the battle against Selah, Tumwater cruised to the state title with a 3-0 sweep over North Kitsap.

* After splitting a pair of four-game matches on Friday, Ellensburg tried to fight its way into a trophy final but fell painfully short in a five-game duel with Liberty - 18-25, 25-20, 25-22, 27-29, 15-12.

Liberty, the District 3 runner-up, had a chance to close out the match in four with game points at 25-24 and 26-25 but the Bulldogs rallied both times.

Spokane's East Valley, which beat Yakima's East Valley in a winner-to-state, loser-out match last week, defeated Liberty in the final for seventh and eighth place.

Ellensburg, making its first state appearance since 2007, will graduate two all-league seniors - CWAC player of the year Miah Perez and Lindsey Roberts - but will return first-team middle Kassidy Malcolm.

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CLASS 4A

Ike misses trophy

LACEY, Wash. - A bid for a state trophy by Eisenhower's young team fell one win short on Saturday as the Cadets dropped a tough four-game match to Gig Harbor in the Class 4A state tournament at Saint Martin's University.

After pouncing on the Tides in the opening game and having three game points in the third, the Cadets fell 17-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-16 in a loser-out match that sent Gig Harbor into the trophy final for seventh and eighth.

On Friday, Eisenhower opened with a loss to semifinalist Curtis and then remained alive with a sweep over Kamiak.

The Cadets, who finished the season with a 24-6 record, were led by CBBN player of the year Morgan Kline, a junior setter, and sophomores Jesse Sydney and Shania Scott, both first-team all-league players.

Eisenhower will graduate two second-team picks in Shannon Patterson and Erika Rackley but will return second-teammer Payton Calhoun.