Nc Grabs Berth To Regionals Indians Rough Up University

On any other night, Lewis and Clark’s 1 hour, 5 minute win would have seemed like an eye blink.

But the Tigers’ three-game disposal of Mead on Thursday had the feeling of a marathon when compared to what North Central did to University.

NC needed just 56 minutes to dispatch U-Hi and qualify for next weekend’s Region IV volleyball tournament at Wenatchee.

NC and LC survived the loser-out round of the Cavanaugh’s Inns/Greater Spokane League District volleyball tournament at Spokane Falls Community College. League champion Gonzaga Prep and runner-up Ferris enter the picture tonight and Saturday, as the four teams jockey for seeding in the regional tourney against the Big Nine Conference.

LC draws Ferris tonight at 6; NC plays G-Prep at 8.

“I know the girls would love to play Prep and beat them,” said NC coach Linda Bushinski.

NC, the district fourth seed, began Thursday’s event with a 15-9, 15-4, 15-8 pasting of the No. 5 Titans.

No. 3 LC struggled slightly, but beat sixth-seeded Mead 15-9, 15-11, 15-5 to pay back the Panthers for a late-season league loss.

“The last time we played them, they passed nails on us,” said LC coach Buzzie Welch. “We tried to serve them a little tougher.”

NC players performed a pregame ritual of kissing a bagel before smacking the Titans. Except for U-Hi’s 6-3 lead in the first game, and a brief rally in the third game, little went the Titans’ way.

The Indians’ Aimee Wilson was on her game, with four kills during a 10-0 first-game run; a tip and a kill to put NC ahead 5-2 in the second game; and six consecutive service points during an 8-0 run in the clincher.

“It was one of the best efforts by our team,” Bushinski said.

“They did what we asked them to do, and it worked.”

Wilson had 17 kills and five blocks while teammate Tamara Van Engelen added nine blocks and three aces.

Titans senior Megan McInturff had six kills, including two during a 7-1 run in the third game.NC’s sweep meant fans waited an hour for the LC-Mead match.

LC, with just two seniors on its roster of 11, displayed some of its youthful tendencies during the first two games. The Tigers led the opener 6-3 before Mead rallied for a 9-7 edge. A 6-0 Panthers streak in the second game resulted in an 11-9 lead.

Welch reminded his players to circumvent the tough Mead block. LC’s Ingrid Lindeblad set farther off the net and more to the corners. LC scored the final eight points of the opener and the last six points of the middle game.

LC’s Sarah Hiss, the match’s kills leader with nine, served four consecutive third-game points to put Mead in an 8-2 hole.

Jen Clark and Jessica Sanborn had four kills apiece for Mead. Sanborn played just two games; she missed Wednesday’s practice because of the flu and by team rules had to sit out a game.

“I think we took a step forward this year,” said Mead coach Judy Kight. “I was proud of them to get to this point.”

, DataTimes