Gsl Advances In Force Three League Teams Move On After First Day Of State Aaa Volleyball Tournament

Ah-ha! There IS a way to beat Greater Spokane League volleyball teams.

Just make ‘em play one another.

What couldn’t be accomplished on the court Friday was taken care of in an office.

After pool play at the WIAA/U.S. Bank State AAA tournament, head coaches from the eight advancing teams gathered to draw today’s opening-match assignments.

Lewis and Clark, the defending state champion and a No. 1 from pool play, drew GSL cousin Ferris for today’s 10 a.m. quarterfinal. The winner advances to an 11:30 semifinal while the loser can finish no higher than third.

“(LC coach) Buzzie (Welch) told me before the draw that we were going to play each other,” said coach Stacey Ward of Ferris, which entered as the state’s top-ranked team, then settled for a second seed after an afternoon loss to second-ranked River Ridge.

River Ridge, LC and Columbia River went 3-0 during the day at the Arena and never dropped a game. North Central of the GSL also went 3-0, including a 14-16, 15-8, 15-10 win over third-ranked Auburn, last year’s runner-up.

“Crunch time, it seems, is the time we’re the toughest,” said NC coach Linda Bushinski. “They have adopted a never-say-die attitude now.”

NC’s quarterfinal is against Puyallup, a No. 4 district seed that won a pair of three-game matches to advance. The NC-Puyallup winner meets either Prairie or River Ridge in the semis.

Columbia River, the ‘91 champion and the last non-GSL team to win here, faces Bethel in the quarterfinals.

“In our pool, I’m kind of surprised that we went 3-0,” said Columbia River coach Dana Blair. “But I’m not surprised that we’re going to play (today).”

The Columbia River-Bethel winner moves on against the GSL’s South Side survivor.

Welch used the word “survivor” to describe his Tigers, who have just two seniors on their 11-person roster. State is LC’s domain, however, as the ‘92 and ‘94 champs have won their last 21 games at the tourney.

“We call ourselves the survivors because we haven’t really won anything this year,” Welch said. “We didn’t win league, we didn’t win district and we didn’t win regionals. I guess there’s only one thing left.”

Ferris, which did win district and regionals, is 3-1 against LC this year.

“The way I look at it, it’s a very nice bracket if we can get by LC,” Ward said. “It’s always fun to play the Tigers.”

River Ridge, a 3-year-old school in Lacey, had perhaps the most impressive day. An afternoon-session 15-12, 15-8 win over Ferris introduced the Hawks to this side of the state.

“It doesn’t take very long on the volleyball court to get to know each other,” said River Ridge coach Bob Stevens. “We had concerns about Ferris … but our kids were about ready to peak.”

Fourth-ranked Bellarmine Prep needed to beat River Ridge during the night session for a chance to tie the Hawks and Ferris with 2-1 records in Pool D. The Lions gave it a run, with an 8-6 lead in the first game and a 7-3 edge in the second, but River Ridge prevailed 15-11, 16-14.

River Ridge’s win wiped away the greatest chance for a tie-breaking round. Entering the evening session, pools A and B were clear-cut and Pool C would have required a Shorecrest upset of Puyallup to force a tie-breaker. Puyallup held off the Scots 15-8, 10-15, 15-6.

Puyallup coach Tony Batinovich joked with Welch before the draw, saying his Vikings ought to play LC because neither team expected to be a state quarterfinalist this year.

“But our kids have been playing real steady,” said Welch, whose Tigers reached state by eliminating GSL champ Gonzaga Prep at regional. “They just don’t let too many wide fluctuations happen.”

NC, which reportedly has never won a state title in a girls sport, endured its share of fluctuations. The Indians battled through a 15-12, 13-15, 16-14 morning match with Bethel, then lost their opening game to Auburn before responding.

Aimee Wilson led NC in the first match, then fellow Division I signee Tamara Van Engelen took charge in the next two.

“When those two are both on, we’re going to be really good,” Bushinski said.

Missy Blackshire led Ferris in wins over Bellarmine Prep and Woodinville, with 16 kills and five blocks. Lea Ruhl added 21 digs and Molly Jones 36 assists.

Ward said the Saxons pretended they were “snowflakes” during their must-win match with Woodinville. Snowflakes, she said, are fragile by themselves but impressive when they stick together.

“Snowflakes” that melted away from the tourney included Shorecrest and Eastlake, which both entered as No. 1 district seeds. Mount Vernon, Auburn and Bothell, other eliminated teams, entered as No. 2 seeds.

All three entries from the GSL’s region - districts 5-6-8 - are in the final eight. District 3, which sent six teams to state, pushed through three into the final round. The other two qualifiers are from District 4.

Tonight’s championship match is scheduled at 9, after the State B championship.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: THE ELITE EIGHT Qualifiers for today’s AAA trophy round at the Arena: North Central Prairie Lewis and Clark Bethel Columbia River Puyallup River Ridge Ferris