MARYSVILLE — It’s not often in sports that you see momentum shift as blatantly as it did in Wednesday’s Class 4A District 1 volleyball tournament at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
Facing game point and the possibility of having to win two straight games against a strong Monroe team full of confidence, Jackson suddenly remembered it’s the No. 4-ranked team in the state. And just like that, a mild upset turned into a shocking comeback.
The Timberwolves scored the final five points in the third game, including holding off three game points, and thoroughly dominated Monroe in the fourth game to defeat the Bearcats 3-1 and earn a spot in the Class 4A state tournament, set to be played Nov. 11-12 at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.
Jackson (14-1) will meet Snohomish (15-1) for the district title at 7 p.m. Friday at Marysville-Pilchuck. It will be the first meeting this season between the schools, who have both qualified for state.
Monroe (14-2) faces a loser-out game against Kamiak (11-5) at 5 p.m. Friday at Marysville-Pilchuck. The Bearcats must now win three matches in a row to advance to state.
Jackson coach Ashley Allen admitted her team — a state tournament favorite — faced some pressure Wednesday.
“We did a nice job overall,” she said. “We have a lot of very good players and when we all come together, we are a very good team.”
Jackson swept Lake Stevens in the first round and Monroe swept Edmonds-Woodway to set up the first meeting of the year between teams who had each only lost once entering the match.
Both showed they were up to the challenge, splitting the first two games with Jackson winning the first 25-20 and Monroe answering with a 26-24 win in the second.
The Bearcats maintained the momentum of the second game, using an 8-2 run to lead 12-7 in the third. Jackson fought back to get within one at 12-11 but Monroe scored five of the next six and led 18-13.
The Timberwolves again rallied and got to 22-21 before two Bearcat kills brought up game point at 24-21. On the brink of being down 2-1 and facing the potential of a long road to state, Jackson came alive. First came a kill by standout senior Leigh-Ann Haataja followed by a kill and an ace by sophomore Emmy Allen that tied it at 24. The Bearcats committed an attack error and the comeback was completed when Haataja and Payton Lockname blocked a spike by Monroe’s Meagan McPhetridge.
“We just decided that this was it,” said Haataja, who had 18 kills against Monroe to go along with 17 against Lake Stevens. “We wanted to turn it around. We didn’t want to go to five games. … We could feel it and we knew we were going to win it.”
“We’re a team that fights,” added Emmy Allen, who had 19 digs. “As soon as we fought back and tied it, we knew we were going to win it.”
The third-game comeback gave Jackson all the momentum it needed, and sucked the life out of Monroe. The Timberwolves used an 11-1 run that included three kills each from Haataja and Miah Diirell to lead 13-4 in the fourth game. Monroe got as close as five at 16-11 but a 7-1 run capped by an Emmy Allen ace made it 23-12. Diirell ended the match with a kill to send Jackson on to state.
In a sense, the district tournament is a good tune-up for Jackson, as it will have faced two good teams — Monroe and Snohomish — it hasn’t played this season, as the Timberwolves likely will at state.
“It’s very similar,” Ashley Allen said. “We haven’t gotten a chance to play these teams and that’s a lot like state. It’s good not to know what to expect and just have to play our game.”
While the goal of reaching state has been met, that doesn’t mean that the Timberwolves are not going to come out ready for North Division champion Snohomish, which suffered its only defeat this season to Monroe.
“(Winning district) is a big goal we want to check off,” Haataja said.
“It’s a big match,” Emmy Allen added. “We’ve been waiting to play Snohomish. We’ve been hearing how good they are so we’re excited to play them and beat them.”
Lake Stevens stayed alive in its quest to reach state as well, rebounding from its loss to Jackson to sweep Edmonds-Woodway, setting up a loser-out match at 5 p.m. Friday against Marysville-Pilchuck at Marysville.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
