Prep volleyball: Ridgeline leans on defense to top Mt. Spokane, earn first district title
With the program’s first state tournament berth secured, Ridgeline volleyball coach Whitney Abell reminded her team that they had nothing to lose when they took the court against Mt. Spokane on Thursday night.
The Falcons responded by lifting what they hope is the first of several trophies this season after topping the Wildcats 25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23 in the District 6 3A championship match Ridgeline High School.
“We just came into tonight with the mindset that we could play free and put a stamp on what this team has created this season,” Abell said. “In moments in the past where we may have cracked a little bit, these girls just held together and realized that if they all did their part it would come together in the end result.”
Defense was the name of the game in the title match for the second-seeded Falcons (16-2), who combined for 12 blocks on the night – led by five from middle blocker Ryan Libey.
The Falcons set the tone early with several impressive first-set stops, punctuated by an all-out scramble turned into an unlikely point – sending the Ridgeline bench and crowd into loud cheers.
“Defense is what we are most proud of all the time,” Ridgeline senior middle hitter Rahni Greene said. “We bring so much every single point and take a lot of pride in getting stops.”
The fourth-seeded Wildcats (12-4) showed in the second set. though. why they have had so much postseason success over the past four seasons – all of which have ended in state trophies. Lexi Wideman led Mt. Spokane with 15 kills in a match that threatened to resemble the two team’s five-set match last month after Mt. Spokane knotted the contest at one set apiece.
Ridgeline responded with a dominant third-set win, but Abell said she was most impressed with her team’s ability to put away the victory in the fourth.
“I called a timeout midway through the set and just told the girls that we are already going to state, so let’s finish this one off the right way and build some momentum,” Abell said. “We stayed calm and proved why we are in this position.”
Regan Rothley paced the Falcons with 12 kills, while Kyla Ross and Araleigh Arnold dished out a combined 53 assists.
Both Mt. Spokane and Ridgeline qualified for the state field by making the district title game. They will be joined by the winner of Saturday’s match between Kennewick and Hermiston (Oregon). Ridgeline entered the match as the No. 2-ranked team in the WIAA’s RPI rankings, while the Wildcats were seventh.
The State 3A tournament is Nov. 22-23 at the Yakima Valley SunDome .
Mead 3, Kamiakin 1: The visiting fifth-seeded Panthers (9-7) beat the second-seeded Braves (18-5) to win the District 6 4A title and earn a trip to state.
Gonzaga Prep 3, Lewis and Clark 0: Mara Sandberg had 17 kills and the top-seeded Bullpups (14-3) beat the visiting third-seeded Tigers (9-9) in a loser-out match. G-Prep will face Kamiakin Saturday, with the winner advancing to state.
State 2B
Freeman 3, Coupville 0: The third-seeded Scotties bounced back from a loss to eventual-champion Manson in the semifinal and swept the fifth-seeded Wolves to clinch third place.
Freeman lost a tight match to Manson 25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23.
Rainer 3, Liberty 1: The sixth-seeded Mountaineers beat the eight-seeded Lancers in the sixth-place match 23-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-22.
Davenport 3, Colfax 0: The 11th-seeded Gorillas beats the 13th-seeded Bulldogs 25-19, 25-23, 25-21 to earn seventh place.