Gonzaga Prep volleyball sweeps Mead as focus turns to postseason success

The past three seasons have ended in similar fashion for Gonzaga Prep volleyball – earning a state berth only to return home empty-handed.

But senior libero and team captain Emma Sandberg wants to make sure her high school career ends on a different note.

“We just want to go out with a bang,” Sandberg said. “Every year we’ve worked so hard to get to state and leave disappointed, but this year we just want to enjoy the moment and see the end result that so many of us have worked toward since we started playing together at 12 years old.”

With the regular season winding down, the Bullpups are peaking at the right time.

Their balanced offensive attack and gritty defense were on full display in a 28-26, 25-17, 25-21 sweep of defending State 3A champion Mead on Thursday night at Gonzaga Prep.

Seniors Olivia Ohman and Mackenzie Ray paced the Bullpups (10-2, 7-1 Greater Spokane League) with eight and seven kills, respectively, while Sandberg had 22 digs. Ohman also had two service aces, while setter Noella Migliuri had 21 assists.

Ava Durgan and Mercedes Gilroy paced the Panthers with six kills apiece.

“We suffered some tough losses, especially at a tournament we went to in California, where it was an awakening for us that we have to dial it in,” Gonzaga Prep coach Nikki Leonard said. “And since then we’ve gotten back to how we want it to look and I think tonight is probably the best I’ve seen our girls play this year.”

Sandberg and the Bullpups know there is still a lot of volleyball to be played before they can start worrying about a state trophy. G-Prep and Mead (5-6, 4-4) must first battle through the WIAA’s new District 6 tournament, which will feature eight 4A teams from the GSL and the Mid-Columbia Conference. That tournament will take place Nov. 5-16 with two teams advancing to state.

“Our staff’s job is to really keep us on task, because we know this is a good district and some of these teams have beaten us or taken sets off of us and we know that when you get into a tournament setting anything can happen,” Leonard said. “Sure, we did our job really well tonight, but a team like Mead is always good and always right there at the end of it. So it’s a good reminder to see the light at the end of the tunnel but also focus on the tasks that will get us there.”

For Mead, it hasn’t been the start to the season they expected in their return to the 4A ranks, but coach Shawn Wilson knows well that it’s more about how you finish the year than how you started it.

“We had a really slow start to this season and struggled to really get going,” Wilson said. “But I think we’re starting to see it connect a bit better, and we know that it’s new life once you hit the postseason and anyone can be that hot team.”

Sandberg believes the tough slate the Bullpups have faced over the past two months have set them up well for what they’ll see in the future. G-Prep’s only two nontournament losses have come at the hands of defending State 4A champ Wenatchee in the season opener, and a five-set loss to league-leading Ridgeline on Oct. 8.

“We don’t love losing and on the few times we have this year, it’s put a fire in our bellies,” Sandberg said. “We know how much that feeling of losing stinks, and so we want to take that fire and run with it.”