EVERETT — The Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks put their home-court advantage to good use at the Class 4A State High School Volleyball Tournament.
Marysville defeated Capital 3-1 late Friday night to advance to today’s semifinals at the Everett Events Center.
The Tomahawks won 27-25, 15-25, 25-18, 25-22. They defeated Central Kitsap 3-0 in their opening-round match earlier in the day.
Snohomish, meanwhile, won its opener, then lost to top-ranked Mead to fall into the consolation bracket.
Stuck with a No. 2 seed coming out of the Northwest District tournament, Snohomish had to play two opponents ranked in the top 10 in the state. After dispatching No. 9 Olympia 3-1, the Panthers fell to top-ranked Mead in a quarterfinal match Friday night, 3-0.
"We played well and I’m proud of our kids," Snohomish coach Shirley Siegel said. "We just didn’t serve or pass the way we needed to in order to win."
Before a sea of red-clad fans numbering approximately 500, Snohomish kept the score close, but could never gain an advantage over Mead. Snohomish plays a loser-out game at 11 a.m. today against the Emerald Ridge Jaguars.
The new modified double-elimination format used at this year’s state tournament turned out to be a mixed blessing for Snohomish.
The old way of using pool play on the first day of the state tournament has been a major stumbling block for teams from the Western Conference in years past. Marysville-Pilchuck has had the most success, finishing seventh at state last year.
Snohomish will play today, but there’s no guarantee of placing, and the Panthers have no shot at winning the title under this format.
"The last two trips to state we drew (perennial power) Kentlake, so we were tickled not to face them again," Siegel said. "But I’m not to excited about the placings on the second day. We could lose our first game and not place."
Snohomish was the first to advance to Day Two, with its first-round victory over Olympia.
Behind Courtney Schneider’s 17 kills and 13 digs, the Panthers defeated the Bears 25-17, 12-25, 25-22, 25-12. Ashley Barnet added 20 assists for Snohomish and teammate Joy Fodge had five aces in the match.
Marysville-Pilchuck won its opening match by blanking Central Kitsap.
"We can wear most teams down," Marysville-Pilchuck coach Shelly Johnson said after her team’s 25-20, 25-16, 25-18 first-round victory. "We hit from anywhere and it’s not just one player doing it. It’s hard to defend the entire net."
The Tomahawks turned the tide during the second game. Trailing 9-7, Marysville-Pilchuck went on a 9-1 run and cruised from there.
Melissa Thompson led the Tomahawks with 10 kills against Central Kitsap. Korissa Clevish had 28 assists and teammate Natanya Parsons finished with 21 digs for Marysville-Pilchuck.
"I don’t think we played to our full potential," said middle blocker Morgan Zamora, who had four aces, seven kills and a block. "But we got done what we needed to."
The Marysville-Pilchuck players said it took some time for them to adjust to the large turnout of fans.
"It’s really cool that they came to support us. It pumps us up," Clevish said. "Last year at state, we had like two fans and our parents there to cheer us on."
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