King’s earned a No. 1 seed in the state Class 1A volleyball tournament by sweeping Cascade Christian in the bi-district championship Nov. 4 at Mike Martin Gym.
The Knights open state tournament play against LaCenter — the No. 3 seed out of District 4 — at 12:30 p.m. today (Friday, Nov. 10) at the Yakima SunDome.
King’s stayed undefeated with the 25-16, 25-11, 25-19 win over previously undefeated Cascade Christian and improved to 17-0 on the year.
“We were well-prepared and we played well,” King’s coach Steve Bain said. “We were very efficient in our serve-receive and transition offense. We gave them some problems. We had a good day. Hopefully we can build on that and take some momentum into the state tournament.”
Kailey Trautmann led King’s with 16 kills, 12 digs and three aces, Bianca Rowland added 10 kills and Kimberly Mayhle added eight kills and 11 digs. Setter Anna Cesari dished out 18 assists.
“That’s really good balance for us to have that kind of distribution,” Bain said. “Both of our middles played really good defense, both Jordan (Irish) and Erin (Bremond).”
The Knights’ goal at the start of the season was to win the 1A title and achieving that goal will take significant focus and a strong mental attitude.
“It takes so much effort,” Bain said. “If you let down or get distracted you’re not going to be that team (that wins the title).
“As far as we’re concerned being unbeaten doesn’t mean that much,” Bain said. “It’s a four-match season now. Somebody’s got to win four in a row. What you’ve done up to now doesn’t really matter, it doesn’t count.”
To get to the top, the Knights will depend on players like senior middle blocker Mayhle and senior defensive specialists Andrea Uvence and Hannah Mason. This will be Mayhle’s fourth trip to state in volleyball.
“She knows what it takes to get to that next level,” Bain said. “She’s able to relate that experience to the other girls.”
Junior outside hitter Trautmann, who played on the King’s basketball team that won the state 2A championship last year, brings a competitive edge as well.
“The effort we had from Kailey when we played against Lynden Christian, that was really a singular effort,” Bain said. “She hit over .500 and Kimi (Mayhle) hit over .400. If we do that I’d like our chances.”
One player who has been missing most of the season is senior setter Alix Morris, a co-captain. Morris broke her thumb several weeks into the season. She tried to come back but the painful injury has been slow to heal. She’s now in a cast.
“To her credit she’s really provided some great leadership and been exactly what a captain needs to be at this stage of the game,” Bain said. “She’s out but stayed really positive and encouraged girls who are still in it.”
Cesari, a freshman, and junior Heather Westbrook have stepped up to play setter.
Bain said Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls), Colfax and Chewelah came out of the toughest district (6 and 7 combined) and pose a big challenge. However, if the Knights make it to the semifinals, they will be seriously tested no matter who they play, he said.
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