November 10, 2007 in Sports

T-O sweeps Gar-Pal for State 1B crown

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YAKIMA – Humbled two months ago, the Tekoa-Oakesdale volleyball team is feeling better about itself this weekend.

Spurred by a loss to Garfield-Palouse in a preseason tournament, Tekoa-Oakesdale defeated the Vikings on Friday night for the fifth consecutive time since that early setback. This time, however, the reward was the biggest prize of all – a State 1B championship.

The Nighthawks dismantled Gar-Pal 25-17, 25-17, 25-20 in the title match at the SunDome, featuring a steady defensive performance that complemented Tekoa-Oakesdale’s prolific attack at the net.

“We have lots of offensive weapons,” T-O coach Kaci Tee said. “Shelby Puckett and Desiree Chappell up front, they’re very quick and have great arm speed. Lauren Varney at libero is very quick. Our defense gets to a lot of balls. It just comes together for us.”

The Nighthawks scored nine of 10 points in a stretch early in the first game to seize control against their Whitman County League rival, and Gar-Pal never fully took it back. T-O posted nine of 11 points in one span in the second game, and nine of the first 13 points in the third.

“We knew we had to come out strong,” Puckett said. “They were pumped up from their last couple of matches.”

Varney suggested the preseason loss served as an important reminder that the Nighthawks weren’t invincible, no matter what state rankings or other measuring sticks indicated.

“We knew after that we couldn’t be so cocky and we could be brought down,” she said. “We stayed level-headed. We know that in tournaments any team can win.”

Another Whitman County team, LaCrosse-Washtucna, pulled away from Odessa for a 29-27, 24-26, 25-16, 25-17 victory in a match for third and sixth place.

Northport rebounded from Thursday’s first-round loss with three consecutive wins, securing fifth place with a 25-19, 25-12, 25-15 victory over Sunnyside Christian.

Class 1A

Three-time defending state champion Colfax marched past Castle Rock 25-14, 25-14, 25-19 in its opening-round match. The Bulldogs play King’s today at 10:30 a.m. for a semifinal berth.

Chewelah and Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) also won to set up a quarterfinal matchup today at 10:30 a.m. Chewelah outlasted Nooksack Valley 25-17, 25-14, 22-25, 25-13, and Lakeside turned back Annie Wright 3-0.

Class 2B

Wilbur-Creston and Lind-Ritzville each won two matches to reach the semifinals.

Wilbur-Creston, which swept King’s West and Wahkiakum, plays Manson today. Lind-Ritzville swept Rainier Christian in the first round and rallied to defeat Toutle Lake in the quarterfinals. The Broncos play La Conner in the other semifinal, both of which are slated for 3:30 p.m.

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