Liberty, Colfax and Lind-Ritzville/Sprague all reach quarterfinals
YAKIMA – The Northeast 2B girls volleyball teams competing at state all advanced to the state quarterfinals with wins this morning, Thursday, Nov. 10, in the Yakima Valley SunDome.
Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna/Harrington swept the previously undefeated Goldendale Timberwolves. Colfax swept Granger. And Liberty (Spangle) won, 3-1, over Brewster.
The Broncos hit the court at 8 a.m.
Initially, they fell behind the Timberwolves. But down 14-7, Coach Cari Galbreath called her girls into a huddle.
" I just told them we have a shot at this; we're a good team," she said. "We were out of rhythm and able to get back in rhythm."
And they did.
They tied the score at 22, then 24, before adding two points to win the first set, 26-24.
The Broncos' momentum gave them the edge in Set 2, and they led start-to-finish, winning 25-21.
But they had a bit of a letdown starting off Set 3. Goldendale stayed a point or two ahead for about half the set.
Galbreath again huddled her team.
"I told them they got this," she said.
The Broncos regained their composure and tied the game at 16 all, before taking the lead permanently and winning 25-21.
Then it was the Colfax's turn.
It was evident the Bulldogs came to have fun. It was also evident the Granger Spartans were no match for them.
The NE2B's top seed, Colfax made short work of Granger, sweeping the Spartans 25-14, 25-12, 25-15.
As the Bulldogs were winding up an easy win, the girls from Spangle were just getting underway across the SunDome against the Brewster Bears.
The Liberty Lancers took the first two sets, 25-15 and 25-17, respectively. But the Bears weren't going to be put down in 3.
In Set 3, the Bears stepped up their game at the net and targeted their serves for a 25-16 win. It would be the only set an NE2B would lose in the opening round of state.
The loss fired up the Lancers and they returned for the fourth set determined to close out with a win.
The teams battled back-and-forth, each taking turns tying the match, then leading. The Lancers and the Bears were tied at 24, until an intense volley and a well-placed serve gave the girls from Spangle the win.
Later today, three of the four quarterfinal games will feature an NE2B team.
The No. 11-seeded Broncos will face No. 3 La Conner at 3:15 p.m. on Court 4.
The No. 7 Lancers will play No. 2 Manson at 3:15 p.m. on Court 5.
And the No. 4 Bulldogs will face No. 5 Adna at 5:15 p.m. on Court 4.
The winners will advance to semifinal games tomorrow; the losers will drop to the consolation round, where they'll have to win again or be eliminated.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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