LC volleyball squad places second at state

It was a tearful finish to a brilliant season, but after Saturday night’s state 4A volleyball championship loss to Greater Spokane League foe Mead, the Lewis and Clark Tigers can still hold their heads high.

After all, they finished second in state. That kind of finish is still worth the kind of bragging rights the Tigers have earned this season and is a step up from last year’s fifth-place trophy.

The storybook season culminated with the perfect opportunity: one last shot at the Panthers.

LC already had played Mead four times this season. The first time was an early nonleague match that the Tigers won in five games. The Panthers swept LC in the league championship and district tournament only to lose to the Tigers in five games in the regional championship.

“I think (state) was a great accomplishment for the GSL,” LC coach Julie Yearout said. “We battled in league, but we both had to go through a lot at state to get to each other again, and that says something about the strength of our league.”

And both the Tigers and Panthers saved their best for last.

In the title game, both teams played at a higher level than they had all season. It came down to which lineup made the fewest errors.

But most points were long rallies that included a flurry of masterful blocks, spectacular digs and forceful hitting that put on the kind of show that hundreds of fans drove to Kennewick to watch.

“I thought it was a great match,” Yearout said. “I thought tournament-wise, districts through state, our girls did great.

“Some of them got better by the day. I was just happy with our experience.

“We always say it’s great if you can play in the last day of the season, and this year we played in the last match on the last day, so it was a big accomplishment.”

But now the season is over, and it’s time to look into the future.

The Tigers will face significant losses in their starting lineup as they will graduate seniors Erica Ehlo, Janae Forney and Hannah Zimmerman. Setter Kelsey Rickard and middle and right-side hitter Erika Whittaker are also seniors.

But junior setter and outside hitter Laurie Yearout, Julie Yearout’s daughter, will be back along with a talented sophomore class in Oceana Bush, Chloe Rowand and Hilary Koenigs.

Bush, the Tigers’ 5-foot-8 starting outside hitter, is an asset for the Tigers on both offense and defense. In the title match, Bush led the team with 11 kills and 16 digs.

Rowand, whom fans lovingly call “Crazy Chloe,” is a crucial presence at the net. She had six blocks in the championship and nine in the quarterfinal match against Rogers of Puyallup.

Laurie Yearout was a huge part of the Tigers’ success this season. As a sophomore, she was a right-side hitter, but this year she played all the way around, setting in the back row and hitting in the front.

The Tigers also have junior outside hitters Kristen Santos and Nicole Johnson and junior libero Vally Moua returning to next year’s lineup.

“We have some spots to fill,” Julie Yearout said, “so we will see how it goes. It’s too early to say.”