Meadowdale, E-W advance to state volleyball tourney

Published 5:38 pm Wednesday, November 10, 2010

It must have felt like deja vu for Everett and Meadowdale at the 3A District 1 championship on Nov. 7 at Cascade High School.

The two teams battled for the district title last year with the Mavericks edging out Everett in five games. This year it was nearly the same story as Meadowdale overcame a rough start to win both the title (13-25, 23-25, 25-6, 25-11, 15-11) and earn the No. 1 District 1 seed to state.

After the first match ended with a 25-13 win for Everett, Meadowdale’s hopes of a district championship could have been shattered. Instead the Mavericks used the fear of losing the title to improve and power through the next four games.

“That was a little shocking,” said Meadowdale head coach Machen Shrum about the score of game one. “I think we were a little bit nervous. I guess it was just the reality of what we were playing for and the nerves got the best of them in the first game.”

“(The girls) just wanted (the championship) badly,” said Shrum. “I said to them, ‘They took the momentum from you in the second game. Take it back.’”

Led by sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Milner with eight digs and a season-high 17 kills and senior middle blocker Alexa Cannon with 11 kills and a season-high seven blocks, Meadowdale continued to play strong.

“My seniors really stepped up,” said Shrum. “My setter (Megan Nelson) especially led the team and got loud and vocal and got the momentum on our side.”

At the 4A District 1 tournament, Edmonds-Woodway volleyball coach Mike Pittis can say goodbye to his 40-year-old mustache.

He probably doesn’t mind.

Pittis promised his players that he would shave his mustache if the Warriors made it to the 4A state tournament on their first day of the 4A District 1 tournament on Nov. 5. His players delivered with two wins, an opening-round victory over Marysville-Pilchuck 23-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-15 and a win over Jackson in the winner-to-state semifinal 25-14, 18-25, 25-19, 25-21.

“It’s like an indescribable feeling because this is our third year going back in a row,” E-W senior opposite hitter Haley Scott said.

The Timberwolves, the Wesco South No.1 seed going into the tournament, rebounded from a tough loss to E-W and a tough first set against M-P to advance to state.

“It’s just Jackson volleyball, we have to play our game,” Champoux said.

“Yes, we had to go the hard way, but we accomplished our goal,” Haataja said.