Prep volleyball roundup for Saturday, Nov. 8:
(Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results and statistics, email sports@heraldnet.com. Please report results by 10:30 p.m.)
2A District 1/5 Crossover (winner to State, loser out)
Archbishop Murphy 3, Prosser 1
EVERETT — The Wildcats (19-1) won their third straight loser-out game with a 3-1 (24-26, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23) victory against the Mustangs (14-6).
Junior Ashley Fletcher (15 digs, two blocks) led with 16 kills, while junior Teulia Halalilo (10 digs, five kills) had 46 assists. Senior Emma Morgan-McAuliff added 13 kills, and sophomore Julia Navaluna (15 digs) contributed five aces.
With each set decided by the minimum two-point margin in all but one set, it was an intense battle from start to finish, neither team wanting its season to end.
“It’s an aggressive mindset. That is a huge key for my team this year,” Wildcats coach Allie Sinex told The Herald over the phone. “If they can jump all the way in on that mindset where they’re attacking their serves, they’re attacking serve receive, they are confident with their serve receive and their passing, then our offense can be confident swinging because we know the game plan.”
With the home crowd behind them, Archbishop Murphy started out strong in the first set, coasting off the energy of the gym, but Prosser pushed back while the Wildcats got passive. Archbishop Murphy started to get its rhythm back in the final 5-10 points of the set, but not before the Mustangs secured a 26-24 set win to jump ahead 1-0.
From there, the Wildcats carried their momentum over to win the next three sets in extraordinarily tight fashion.
While Archbishop Murphy would have loved to earn their spot in the state tournament by advancing to the District 1 2A Championship, they ultimately came out stronger going through their ‘win-or-go home’ consolation path.
Along with crediting the players’ efforts fighting through that gauntlet, Sinex also praised the efforts of athletic trainer Julian Bilger and strength & conditioning coach Jordan James for keeping the team physically prepared to play five playoff matches in an eight-day span.
“We needed some adversity,” Sinex said. “We needed to realize how badly we wanted to go to state and how hard we have to work for it. Coming out of our district is so hard. There (are) a lot of talented volleyball programs in District 1, and we needed to have that gut check to battle back again. … I think we needed that experience to take with us to the state tournament.”
No. 2 Lake Stevens 3, No. 10 Juanita 0
LAKE STEVENS — The Vikings (18-0) swept the Ravens (25-6, 25-15, 25-20) to clinch a state playoff spot and advance to the district semifinal. Laura Eichert led the way with 21 kills while Olivia Gonzales totaled 33 assists to power the Lake Stevens attack.
No. 5 Issaquah 3, No. 4 Kamiak 2
MUKILTEO — The Knights (13-4) dropped their quarterfinals matchup with the Eagles in a five-set match, setting up the first of three loser-out consolation matches starting with No. 7 Woodinville on Tuesday.
No. 8 Glacier Peak 3, No. 9 Redmond 1
No. 1 Skyline 3, No. 8 Glacier Peak 0
SAMAMMISH — The Grizzlies (12-8) opened their district playoff run with a four-set win over the Mustangs before losing to the tournament’s top seed in a doubleheader. Glacier Peak will take on No. 12 Lincoln on Tuesday needing three straight wins to advance to State.
No. 6 Mount Si 3, No. 11 Arlington 1
KIRKLAND — The Eagles (9-9) lost their opening match of districts and will start their consolation-bracket run against No. 10 Juanita on Tuesday.
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