YAKIMA
All the King’s volleyball team could do was watch in silence as the Colfax Bulldogs mobbed each other and celebrated their victory in what was, without a doubt, the best match of the Class 1A tournament.
Colfax pushed King’s to the brink, but the Knights pushed back in the semifinal match that pitted the best of the east against the best in the west Nov. 10 at the Yakima SunDome.
But in the end, No. 1-ranked and eventual state champion Colfax survived the much-anticipated match of unbeaten teams, outlasting third-ranked King’s 25-21, 21-25, 25-20, 27-29, 21-19.
King’s senior outside hitter Kailey Trautmann, who had 21 kills and 23 digs in the two-plus hour match, called it “hands down, the most memorable” match she’s ever played in.
The disappointed Knights came right back on the court and captured the third-place trophy, thumping Chewelah in less than an hour, 25-9, 25-13, 25-21.
Still, it is the semifinal that players on both teams will remember for a long time.
Twice in the final game against Colfax, King’s served for match point. A brilliant reverse set by Anna Cesari caught the Bulldogs off guard to give King’s a 14-13 lead. But a kill by the Bulldogs’ Erin Scholz and later a hitting violation kept Colfax alive.
King’s staved off match point three times itself in the final game before Colfax setter Abby Bruya delivered a serve the Knights could not return for the decisive point.
Last year, the two teams met in the semifinals and Colfax won in four games. King’s was the only team to win a game against the Bulldogs that entire tournament. This year after beating King’s, Colfax swept Connell for its unprecedented fourth straight 1A title and ninth overall.
Colfax fell behind 15-7 to King’s in the first game but rallied behind the serving of Bruya to go on a 9-0 run and take the lead and eventually the game. King’s won the next game, aided by four kills from senior outside hitter Bianca Rowland.
After the Bulldogs won game three, they appeared to have the match in hand in game four opening up a 16-9 lead. But King’s chipped away. Down 24-20, the Knights got a kill from Rowland, a missed dig by Colfax, a tip from middle blocker Jordan Irish and a missed kill by Colfax to tie it. The Knights battled back from two other match points before Trautmann slammed a kill to win the game.
“We saw an opportunity and didn’t let it go,” Trautmann said. “We were really fighting in that one.”
King’s started game five out with a lead, as it had done in every other game of the match, and led by three points on three occasions. But the Bulldogs never caved.
“I got to tip my hat to them. They have the kind of program we aspire to be,” King’s coach Steve Bain said. “We’re awfully close.”
The schools were ranked first and second in the state 1A volleyball poll for most of the season, and the players expected to face each other at some point in the state tournament.
“That was the craziest (match) ever,” Colfax outside hitter Sadie Lazzarini said. “From the beginning we were like, ‘We got to beat King’s, somehow we have to beat King’s.’”
“They came back and played good. We let down,” she said. “At the end we pushed and we didn’t give up.”
Rowland hammered 20 kills and had 17 digs against Colfax. Setter Anna Cesari contributed 47 assists.
The east-west rivalry is now firmly established. King’s has served as the Bulldogs’ toughest test at state the last two years in volleyball. Last year in basketball the Colfax girls outlasted the Knights, 31-28 in the title game.
King’s met briefly after the loss and then had to regroup to face Chewelah in the third-place match, its third of the day. The Knights took an 11-0 lead in the first game and cruised to the sweep of the Cougars, the same team they beat last year for third.
Rowland had 14 kills against the Cougars, Trautmann notched eight kills and Erin Bremond added six kills. Cesari distributed 17 assists.
King’s started its Saturday with a 25-7, 25-21, 25-22 sweep of Chelan in the quarterfinals.
Rowland had 22 kills and eight digs, Trautmann added 11 kills and seven digs while Cesari had 38 assists.
King’s also swept its opening round match with Goldendale 25-23, 25-10, 25-13.
Rowland led the Knights with 16 kills and six digs, Bremond added five kills, Trautmann had six digs and Cesari dished out 23 assists.
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