Cheney volleyball defeats West Valley to regain top GNL spot

The Cheney High volleyball team regained its place as the top team in the Great Northern League after a 3-2 win over West Valley, Oct. 22.

The game scores were 25-27, 25-18, 22-25, 25-10 and 15-14. Head coach Heather Zorrozua switched the starting lineup, which she said “got the team off balance a little bit” at the beginning of the match.

“They started to gain their momentum at the end of the first set,” Zorrozua said. “At one point in the last set, we were down 14-12. It goes to show that you can’t overlook any opponent in this league.”

Zorrozua said the West Valley match was a good way for the girls to get back into playing competitively. This was also the first time all season where her team did not sit back and wait for their opponents to make mistakes.

“They transferred some stuff they learned in practice into the match,” she said.

Rylie Pease shined on offense, leading the match with 16 kills and five aces while Peyton Stark had 30 assists. On defense, Ally Jones led her team with 21 digs while Marissa Peach and Hannah McGourin recorded two blocks each.

“Ally Jones stepped into the libero position after the Sheridan Classic (Oct. 8) and she’s done amazing for us,” Zorrozua said.

Cheney (8-3 GNL, 9-3 overall) wrapped up its regular season against the Pullman Greyhounds (7-4, 13-7), Oct. 27. While the Blackhawks clawed their way back to first in the league standings, Pullman dropped to second after back-to-back losses to East Valley, Oct. 20 and Clarkston, Oct. 22.

Cheney and Pullman are 1-1 against each other this season. If the Blackhawks win, they’ll not only win the regular season district title, but also host the league playoffs, Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

If they lose, Pullman will win the GNL title by virtue of head-to-head meetings and will host the tournament. The tournament host will get an automatic bye into the championship round.

“I really think my girls have battled all season and I’m excited to see how they show up at the end,” Zorrozua said. “Being that this is my first year, it’s been intense and exciting.”

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].