Twenty years flies since Blackhawks take home 1987 state volleyball title

The following story appeared in the Nov. 26, 1987 issue of the Cheney Free Press. We have recreated it here word for word.

What an incredible weekend of volleyball it was.

Taking on all comers, exhibiting the kind of never-say-die determination that separates true champions from the would-be challengers, and somehow managing to remain razor sharp throughout a grueling five-match day, the Cheney Blackhawks find themselves at the pinnacle.

State Champs. Number One.

The Blackhawk girls, guided by coach Pam McKinzie, joined 15 other Class AA teams in the Mount Si (North Bend) gymnasium Friday morning. Half of the teams were pared away the first day, four more were dispatched during Saturday's early session, and the field of hopefuls was set at four: Cheney, Hanford, Olympia and Selah.

After the Blackhawks and Hanford advanced past the semi-finals, the showdown was set. And, as history books will forever show, the Cheney girls claimed their school's first-ever state volleyball championship by dumping the stubborn Falcons, 19-17, 15-11.

But dry numbers do not begin to tell the story of last weekend. The championship tale is one a band of girls who refused to fold – who came back after a first-match loss to win twice on Friday, when a second loss would have sent them packing.

It's a story of a team that lost again on Saturday, but then played some of its best volleyball of the year to win three straight on the way to the state title.

“They're fighters,” said McKinzie when it was all over. “They never say die.”

The Cheney girls had plenty of opportunities during the tourney to show just how tough they can be.

A prime example came during Friday's second match; the Blackhawks had already been beaten 15-12, 15-8 by Olympia, and a second loss would guarantee that the team would not advance to Saturday play.

Things didn't look good, as Ferndale – undefeated this year and defending state champs – had Cheney down 14-4 in the first game.

But the Blackhawks began a remarkable comeback, getting points one or two at a time, and shutting Ferndale down on every service opportunity.

Twelve straight points gave the Blackhawks the win, and kept hopes alive for the team and the supportive band of parents and other rooters that made the trip west. Ferndale refused to crumple after the disappointing loss, but Cheney advanced by taking a tough second game 15-13.

Needing another win to move to Saturday action, the Blackhawks did away with Tyee Friday night by 15-8, 15-4 scores.

Saturday began with a positive note, as the girls moved quickly past Peninsula, 15-9, 15-3, setting up the first showdown with Hanford, which was 4-0 in the tourney at the time.

After two games, the Falcons were 5-0 and Cheney 3-2, the Falcons taking a 15-7, 16-14 decision.

The loss was especially tough as Cheney had a great chance to force a deciding game after leading 14-12 in the second; Hanford scored four straight, however, to stay undefeated.

That set up a situation where Cheney had to take on old foe Deer Park, with the winner advancing to the final four and the loser out.

Deer Park was at the state tourney as the Frontier League's top seeded team, having finished ahead of regular-season champ Cheney during the league tourney week before.

The Blackhawks would

prove to be the better team this time around, winning 15-4, 16-14.

Through the tourney, the two Frontier teams had shown great sportsmanship, rooting for each other.

In fact, when not cheering for their own team, the Deer Park cheerleaders were found on the floor in front of the Cheney fans, leading some very vocal support.

Headed into the semi-finals, Cheney was matched up against Selah, a club that many figured would take home the top trophy. For the first five points of the first game, it looked like those predictions might be on the money as Selah quickly built a 5-0 lead.

But then things began going Cheney's way, on the strength of some fine serving, strong net play, and consistent, sometimes remarkable defensive efforts. The Blackhawks kept the momentum and put 14 straight points on the board, eventually winning 15-9.

The second game again provided a roller-coaster ride of emotions for Cheney fans, as the Blackhawks fell behind, trailing at one point 12-6. But another streak of unbeatable play came at just the right time, as Cheney scored nine of the last 10 points to move into the finals.

“After Selah, we felt we could do it,” said Kelly Johnston, Cheney's top hitter and one of the premier players in the tourney, when asked exactly when the girls felt a state title was within reach. Alison Hodge echoed those feelings, noting that “We felt Selah was the unstoppable team.”

For her part, McKinzie had been telling her girls that a championship wasn't out of line. She had received some scouting reports from people who had seen the state's top teams play, and felt her Blackhawks could go all the way.

“I'm not sure we all believed her,” said Kristen Maakestad. Not until after taking care of Selah; heading into the finals, the club was confident that it could beat Hanford in a rematch.

The first game of the finals was simply a classic, as each club took turns getting the better of the action. Cheney moved out 8-4 and 11-7, only to have the Falcons come back to take a 12-11 lead.

From there, the Blackhawks scored two, Hanford got two, Cheney answered with two more, and Hanford got one to tie things at 15.

Cheney earned a key 16th point when Jennifer Jessett's serve couldn't be returned, but Hanford took the next two points to put Cheney on the ropes.

The final three points and the win came on a shot just tipped over the net by Johnston, an unreturned Lori Foland serve, and a Hanford shot that went out of bounds.

Needing just one game to clinch the state title, Cheney continued doing the things that earned the first-game victory. That is, good net play and strong hitting offensively, but with an emphasis on defense.

“Our key has always been a strong offense,” McKinzie said, but she told her troops that the best way to earn a title against Hanford would be to play some tough defense, to take away their firepower.

Her orders were followed to the letter, as the Blackhawks were all over the court carrying out the mission of not letting anything hit the floor.

McKinzie singled out the play of Hodge during the finale. “She took their power away from them,” the coach said.

In the final game, Cheney allowed Hanford a couple of short rallies, but put together a seven-point run that sealed the championship.

When the final point went into Hanford's side of the net and fell to the floor, “things just exploded…everything went crazy,” recalled Johnston.

For Hodge, “All I remember is running on the court and everyone screaming.”

For a core group of Blackhawk seniors, the state championship was the sweetest way possible to close out many years of playing volleyball together.

“We were undefeated in eighth grade and we decided we wanted to go to state someday,” Johnston said.

Hodge noted that team members went to camp this summer and again affirmed their desire to make a state tourney appearance.

The girls, and McKinzie, noted that they had something else going for them, aside from talent and determination, namely, the constant support from the stands.

Despite the fact that the trademark kazoos were outlawed by tourney officials as “artificial noisemakers,” the Cheney contingent was an appreciated force.