Mt. Spokane volleyball tops rival Mead to claim GSL title, but rematches may be looming

Rivalries are inherently intense, but few around the region or even in the state are as heated as when Mead and Mt. Spokane go head-to-head.

On Thursday, for the first time this season, the two class 3A volleyball juggernauts rekindled that rivalry. But if both teams have it their way, it won’t be their last meeting this year.

Leilani Ama was unstoppable in both phases of the match, as Mt. Spokane (13-0, 9-0 GSL) topped Mead (12-1, 8-1) in four sets, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15, 25-22 at Mead High School.

“It was hard last year because I was injured and could only play setter,” Ama said. “So now that I’ve recovered, I’m all over the court now and it’s good to be back.”

Ama, a senior setter, notched 37 assists, but her versatility showed by adding seven digs, five kills and three blocks. She also sparked key runs in the third and fourth sets with momentum-shifting defensive plays.

With the victory Thursday, Mt. Spokane also claimed the GSL 4A/3A regular-season title and the top seed into next week’s district tournament. The Panthers are the second seed with the district title match scheduled for Nov. 12.

If the Panthers and Wildcats claim the two district berths to the state tournament, another meeting could be in the stars at the Yakima Valley SunDome on Nov. 17-18.

Confidence boost

Beating a good team three times in a row is no small task, but that’s exactly what the Panthers did to the Wildcats last season – topping Mt. Spokane in the regular season, district championship and state quarterfinals. That has led to a boost in confidence for Mead, according to coach Shawn Wilson.

“They definitely think about last year and the dominance they had,” Wilson said. “And it gives them a bit of a confidence boost, but hopefully not overconfident. They’re excited to play them, they’re nervous, but they’re confident.”

Third-year Mt. Spokane coach Laurie Quigley says there has been no energy spent looking in the past, especially with so much turnover in both teams.

“We both lost a handful of seniors and so both of these teams look a lot different than the ones from last year,” Quigley said. “And honestly it’s not something we feel like we need to talk about because the rivalry is there every year and it’s always a game that is loud and filled with great volleyball.”

Sizing up the competition

Making the matchup more intense is the fact that both teams are ranked in the Washington State Volleyball Coaches Association 3A poll. The Panthers moved ahead of Bellevue and into the top spot this week while the Wildcats were sixth.

With the Wildcats’ win Thursday, next week’s poll is bound to change. The only ranking that matters for these teams, though, is at the end of the season.

“The fun thing for us is that we both know that in an ideal world we will give each other our best games all the way through state,” Quigley said. “It’s a great test for both of us as we get ready for postseason. It‘s more fun when we are both good, compared to a rivalry where it is so one-sided.”

Having that high-level challenge just a short drive away has paid dividends for both teams when it comes to postseason performance. Mead is the defending State 3A champion with Mt. Spokane claiming the two 3A titles before that in 2018 and ‘19.

“Last year, every time we ran into them it just got harder and harder to win,” Wilson said. “The state quarterfinal was the toughest match against them, and we are expecting that same kind of match every time we play them now.”

Cards on the table

Both coaches also said that it is too late in the season for any gamesmanship in terms of hiding their hand ahead of the postseason.

“Usually earlier in the season we try and hide a few things, but at this stage of the year we’ve just got to go with what we’ve got,” Wilson said. “Neither team has a lot to hide because I think they know what we have, and I think we know what they have too.”

“Hopefully as we go through a season, we are adding more options to our game,” Quigley said. “We are always looking to add a different shot or route to run, but that is through the evolution of our play, not really saving anything special for later.”

“We’ve been working all year toward getting another shot at Mead,” Ama said. “Our team got off to a rough start last year, but this year we came together and decided we were going to be different and that lifted us tonight.

“Now we just have to show up to practice every day and work hard, because they are a great team too.”