Mavs advance to volleyball finals

Published 7:46 pm Tuesday, November 1, 2011

SNOHOMISH — Nothing comes easy when the Meadowdale Mavericks volleyball team faces Glacier Peak.

That was the story on Oct. 31 in the 3A District 1 semifinals when the Mavericks pulled out a 3-1 victory over the Grizzlies by set scores of 23-25, 27-25, 25-17 and 25-18.

With the win, the Mavericks (15-1 overall) advance to the District 1 championship game at noon on Nov. 5 to face Lynnwood. A win on Saturday not only gives the Mavericks a district championship, but also a berth into the 3A state tournament. A loss against Lynnwood would mean the Mavericks would have to move to the consolation bracket to play a winner-to-state/loser-out match.

Meadowdale swept its district opening round match against Shorewood by scores of 25-18, 25-13 and 25-16.

The Grizzlies handed the Mavericks their only loss of the season and attempted to hand them a second on Monday. It appeared the Grizzlies might do just that, taking a 16-11 in the second set of a match that they already led 1-0. But the Mavericks rallied to win a thriller of a second set and that turned out to be the decisive point of the match.

“That was a very big mental step for the girls,” Meadowdale coach Machen Shrum said. “I’ve always said we are very mentally strong. This just shows it, to be able to come back and to win 25-17 in the third set. It is the turning point, when you can be down and then come around and win.”

The Mavericks won the final two sets by eight points and seven points, respectively – but it wasn’t easy.

“There was no cruising in this match tonight,” Shrum said.

The Mavericks might not have been able to do it if it weren’t for Lindsey Milner, who finished the match with 23 kills, 21 digs and four aces.

“Lindsey Milner had a fantastic night tonight,” Shrum said. “This is probably the best I have seen her play and it really lit a fire under everyone else.”

Shrum said it is Glacier Peak’s ability to play defense that gives the Mavericks such a tough time.

“They play amazing defense,” Shrum said. “I mean their defense is outstanding. They do not let a ball drop without every single one of them going a thousand percent … the best defense that I have seen by any team so far this season.”

“When you have to hit and you have to hit and you have to hit five and six times just to put a ball down, that’s exhausting, it’s tiring.”

Shrum said she never lost faith, even in the second set, that her team could come back.

“It was a pretty healthy deficit,” Shrum said. “It doesn’t surprise me, because we have done that. I do have faith and I do trust that the girls are going to come back. I was a little concerned. I thought I saw a little defeated look on their face at one point. In time outs we talked about it, ‘This is something you do, for some reason, you give points and then you come back.’ So I had the faith, frustrated, but I believed they could pull it out.”

It seems that Glacier Peak has the respect of the Mavericks.

“They are the strongest team that we have played, obviously all season long,” Shrum said. “It’s really hard to go on to a championship match and hopefully on to state and face these teams that are bigger, are faster, are stronger, not necessarily going to beat us, but we are going to have to face that. When you don’t face that all season long, that type of opponents, it’s hard to go into a state-type arena and be prepared. So I think Glacier Peak has prepared us.”

While the Mavericks will be preparing for their Saturday district championship match with Lynnwood, Shrum said she would not be surprised to see the Grizzlies rebound from Monday’s loss and get through to state on the consolation side of the bracket.

“No, not at all,” Shrum said. “I think that they are the next best team.”