Falcons fall to Mount Spokane, beat Mount Si
KENNEWICK — The Prairie volleyball team vowed not to let the disappointment of coming up just short in the state semifinals on Saturday keep it from one last all-out effort in the match for third place.
They kept that vow with flair.
The Falcons swept Mount Si 3-0 to claim the third-place trophy at the Class 3A state tournament. The 26-24, 27-25 and 25-17 victory was an exclamation point on the season.
“It was great to go out with a great trophy, a great team, and with a great game,” Prairie senior Camryn Irwin said. “It was just so much fun. I’m so proud of them all.”
Camas, which lost in heartbreaking fashion to Mount Si after midnight Saturday morning, bounced back to beat Meadowdale 3-0 to earn a spot in the fourth-place match late Saturday. Seattle Prep won that match over Camas 3-0.
Columbia River went 0-2 in the tournament, losing 3-0 to Auburn Mountainview on Saturday morning.
Prairie faced a physical challenge perhaps more daunting than the emotional pain of dropping a five-set match to Mount Spokane in the semifinals at the Toyota Center.
Irwin, who last week accepted a volleyball scholarship from Oregon, had a tough time walking in the aftermath of the semifinal match. She rolled her right ankle in the first set against Mount Spokane.
“I landed on somebody’s foot underneath the net, and messed up my ankle pretty bad,” Irwin said following the semifinal loss. “It’s hurting me pretty bad right now.”
She said a great tape job and a bit of Advil allowed her to cap her high school volleyball career with 33 assists and four blocks in a victory.
In the semifinals, Prairie looked outgunned from the start. Mount Spokane won the first two sets 25-18 and 25-19, leading each right from the get-go.
“It was more us, more that we were down on ourselves,” Prairie senior Kayla Reed said of that slow start.
A Reed kill broke a tie at 18 in the third set, and the Falcons scored the last seven points to win. Ditto the fourth set, where Prairie overcame a 21-17 deficit by scoring the final eight points.
The momentum shifted back to Mount Spokane early in the fifth set, which is played to 15 points. The Wildcats used three big kills and four Prairie errors to lead 7-2, and the Falcons were never closer than three points from there.
The Falcons earned the school’s sixth volleyball state trophy — the first since claiming the 4A state title in 1998.
“I’m disappointed we didn’t win. But I’m really proud of my team for coming back,” Reed said. “I don’t think anybody expected us to come back and fight that hard.”
They fought all the way to a third-place trophy.
“I’ll remember most playing good volleyball with some of my very best friends,” said Haley Doerfler, who had 21 kills against Mount Si. “First place would’ve been great. But, hey, third place out of 50-plus teams in the state — I’m happy with that. It’s a great accomplishment.”
Camas also showed some fight after losing its championship dream — and plenty of sleep — in the wee hours on Friday night/Saturday morning.
Coach Julie Nidick said they waited until they awoke on Saturday to address the quarterfinal setback.
“This morning we appealed to the heart, and asked them: ‘How are you going to take this? Are you going to take this loss and turn it into a positive and play with heart?’ Which they did,” Nidick said.
Rediscovering the hitting accuracy that abandoned them at key points in the quarterfinals, the Papermakers cruised past Meadowdale 25-20, 25-14, and 25-20 to secure the school’s fifth volleyball state tournament trophy. Stefani Sorensen had 15 kills and six digs, and Whitney Austin had 14 kills, seven digs and two blocks.
Class 2A
Hockinson misses trophy — Making its second state tournament trip, Hockinson got closer to taking home a trophy. But for the second time in as many seasons, the Hawks tournament ended with a loss in the consolation semifinals.
Hockinson beat Lynden 3-1 Saturday morning, then lost to Colville in five sets.
Leslie Hanks had 29 kills in two matches Saturday. In the loss to Colville, she also had four blocks, 14 digs, and 11 service points.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” Hockinson coach Shannon Hunt said. “They came out today and they were a whole new team” after a disappointing effort in Friday’s first-round loss.
