Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Ridgeline volleyball rolling into Sheridan-Welch Crossover Classic after series of impressive early-season wins

By Madison McCord For The Spokesman-Review

In opening the season against a pair of perennial state contenders in Coeur d’Alene and Mead, Ridgeline volleyball coach Whitney Abell wanted to see what her team’s mindset would be like out of the gate.

The Falcons were not only ready to play – they were ready to win.

Ridgeline earned five-set road victories against the Vikings and Panthers – the defending State 3A champions – in nonleague play before handling Lewis and Clark and Shadle Park in Greater Spokane League play to jump to the top of the GSL standings through the first three weeks of play.

“We have seven seniors who have worked their tails off, so we wanted to go into the season against incredibly tough teams like Coeur d’Alene and Mead so we could see where we were at,” Abell said. “It’s been really cool over the last four years of our program to see this group of seniors settle in and gravitate into those leadership roles.”

The Falcons (4-0, 2-0 GSL) leaned on that leadership Tuesday in a 25-14, 21-25, 25-14, 27-25 victory at Shadle Park. With a sickness running through the Ridgeline locker room, Abell had to make some rotation tweaks and use more of the team’s depth to secure the league victory.

“This was another great opportunity for the girls to learn to respect every opponent, and with us not being 100%, we had a lot of girls really step up tonight in some positions they weren’t used to being in,” Abell said.

One consistent for the Falcons this season has been the play of senior outside hitter Brooklyn Hillman. After totaling 12 kills against Lewis and Clark a week ago, Hickman led a balanced Falcons attack with nine kills against the Highlanders.

“This team is incredibly disciplined right now and the chemistry is really peaking early on,” Hillman said. “Everyone is just focused on doing their job and trusting everyone else will do theirs. Even on nights where we go through some bumps, we pick each other back up and find a way to finish.”

The Falcons will get a chance to take their high level of play against some of the best teams in the region, as one of 64 teams competing in this weekend’s Sheridan-Welch Crossover Classic held at Shadle Park, Rogers, Lewis and Clark and Ferris on Friday and Saturday.

The tournament honors longtime Shadle Park coach Linda Sheridan and Lewis and Clark coach Buzzie Welch, both of whom are members of the WIAA volleyball coaches association hall of fame.

“It’s a legacy tournament for Spokane teams, kind of like a right of passage,” Abell said. “The girls always look forward to it too, because its that special mix of teams like Mead and Mt. Spokane, but also teams like Wenatchee and Davis (Yakima), along with some smaller schools.

“It’s a good showing of what could be around the corner while also keeping our eyes focused on what is in front of us. It’s also a really special way to honor two of the most impactful members of our volleyball community and remember them and how much they have grown the game.”

Hillman said that although the team is excited for different competition in a bracket setting that will resemble the postseason, the focus is still on whatever task sits directly in front of them.

“We are nailing it down to one match, one practice, even one ball at a time,” Hillman said. “We are going to make mistakes, so it’s keeping each other level and then lifting each other up. If we can do that each point, then the results will take care of themselves as they have so far.”

Teams are split into 16 pools and will play three round-robin matches.

The first round of pool play is Friday at 7 p.m. The next five rounds begin Saturday at 8 a.m.

First-place teams in each of the pools will play in the gold bracket finals at Shadle Park on Saturday afternoon. The silver bracket will be played at LC, and the bronze and copper brackets will be at Ferris and Rogers respectively.

Tickets are available at the door for $10 for adults and $5 for students. No GSL passes will be accepted.

Upon paying for entry, every fan will receive a wristband. The wristband will allow the fan to enter any school throughout the tournament.