Mead reigns supreme again

The Mead Panthers did it again – and this time it was on neutral territory.

After yet another rematch between two top-ranked volleyball teams in the state, the Panthers prevailed and swept Lewis and Clark 25-23, 25-18, 25-16 to win the District 8 4A tournament at Mt. Spokane, earning the No. 1 seed to next weekend’s regional.

It was the fourth consecutive district title for the Greater Spokane League regular-season champions. LC earned the second seed at regional, where GSL teams will meet teams from the Columbia Basin League for four state berths.

The Tigers hung around in the first game, trailing by two points most of the way until Mead took a 24-19 lead.

Kristen Santos came in off the bench and served five unanswered points for the Tigers, closing the gap to 24-23 before the game ended on a net call.

Mead jumped to an early 10-4 lead in the second game and held off many LC attempts to even the score.

At game point for Mead, LC’s Laurie Yearout made an unlikely save and teammate Oceana Bush came up with a blazing shot down the line to hold the Panthers off for another point. The game ended on an over-the-net call against the Tigers.

The third game was a back-and-forth battle as the teams traded points until 13-all.

At 14-13, Kady Try served four points to give Mead its largest lead of the game. LC scored only three more points before Mead won 25-16 on an LC hitting error.

“This was a huge confidence booster,” said Mead coach Judy Kight. “We were really focused on playing our game, even when LC was coming really hard at us. We really held our game together and that’s what you have to do in the playoffs.”

For the Tigers, the loss was mostly a mental breakdown.

“In game one we made so many service errors that we made it hard on ourselves again,” LC coach Julie Yearout said. “Physically, we are one of the best teams in the state, but we need to work on our mental game. We don’t play very smart at times.”

Bush was the star for LC. She finished with 10 kills and four digs. Teammate Erica Ehlo chipped in seven kills and five digs.

“(Bush) played better tonight than she did the first time against (Mead),” Julie Yearout said. “She stepped up. That was nice to see.”

Alexis Olgard finished with 12 kills and two blocks for the Panthers, and teammate Meg Ryan added 12 kills and 10 digs. Karyn Mockel had a solid performance with 36 assists and 11 digs.

In other matches at the tournament, Leslie Whigman had eight kills and three blocks and teammate Chrissy Topliff finished with 20 digs as Gonzaga Prep swept Ferris 25-23, 25-21, 25-19 to earn the third seed to regional.

Brynn DeLong had 11 kills, 13 digs and four blocks as Shadle Park defeated Ferris 25-22, 25-18, 26-24 to earn the fourth and final seed to regionals. Brianne Brown also had 11 kills and four blocks for the Highlanders.

Maddy Lorenz finished with a superior performance for the eliminated Saxons. She had 13 kills, 15 digs and two blocks.

In a loser-out contest, Shadle topped Central Valley 23-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-15.

District 8 3A

In the end, there were no surprises here.

Jen Andrews had 14 kills, 10 digs, three blocks and three aces to lead the host Mt. Spokane Wildcats to the tournament title with a 25-20, 25-21, 25-20 sweep over North Central.

“(Jen) was the spark plug for us today,” Mt. Spokane coach John Reid said. “She was the fire when we needed it and was the go-to player for us.”

The Wildcats earned the honor of top seed into next weekend’s regional tournament. NC is the second seed.

“I try and get out of their way and let them play,” Reid said. “There really isn’t a legitimate superstar on this team. They really epitomize what it means to play as a complete team.”

In an earlier, loser-out match, NC defeated East Valley.