CdA, LC 1-1 in 5A
Coeur d’Alene and Lake City not only showed up for the 5A state volleyball tournament this year, each made a bit of splash Friday at Post Falls High School.
After both teams went two-and-through a year ago, Coeur d’Alene got 13 kills and 20 digs from junior outside hitter Kama Griffitts and knocked off Boise 3-1 and Lake City handled Capital by the same 3-1 score in the opening round Friday.
Later in the day, however, both teams fell victim to perennial powerhouses as Idaho Falls staved off a furious Coeur d’Alene comeback to beat the Vikings 3-2 in a thrilling five-gamer and defending champion Eagle easily defeated Lake City 3-0.
In other first-day action, Idaho Falls knocked off Centennial 3-2, Eagle handled Highland 3-0, Boise ousted Centennial 3-1 and Highland sent Capital packing 3-0.
Lake City (13-12) faces Boise (25-9) this morning at 9 while Coeur d’Alene (19-7) takes on Highland (33-9) at 10:30. Eagle (32-2) and Idaho Falls (36-7), two teams who have accounted for the last five state titles, square off in a winners’ bracket game at noon.
“In its first match, CdA trailed 21-18 in the opening game before battling back to tie it at 23-23. There would be four more ties and a pair of lead changes before Maggie Reno sealed it 30-28 with a service winner.
The Vikings led the second game 17-10 and looked like they were going to run away with it before a little loose play let the Braves back in and eventually win it 25-21.
Game 3 was tight in the early going, but after a 12-all tie, the Vikings took control and never looked back.
“I couldn’t be happier with how the girls responded to the adversity early on in that match,” CdA coach Carly Curtis said. “We work on the fundamentals all year long, but there’s no way to simulate this state tournament atmosphere.
“It was a little bit of a gut-check, and I think we passed the test.”
Junior setter Natalie Stewart had 30 assists and three blocks in the match for the Vikings.
Against Idaho Falls, who won state three times in a row before being dethroned by Eagle last year, CdA may have come out a little slow in the first two games, scoring less than 20 points in each, but it wasn’t like the Vikings were giving the Tigers anything – they were taking it.
In games 3 and 4, though, after a pep talk from Curtis, it was CdA that was doing the taking and a Hannah Johnson kill at the end of game 4 squared the match at two games apiece.
In the fifth and final game, the Vikings fought back from an early 3-0 deficit and tied it at 7. It would be tied again at 11-all before the Tigers pulled away to win 15-12.
“The Timberwolves trailed 16-11 in their first game of the match before going on a 10-1 run that included three straight service winners from senior setter Sam Georgius.
LC would go up 2-0 with a much easier trip in Game 2 before Capital finally got it going to win a somewhat sloppy Game 3.
Junior middle-hitter Alivia Johnson had three kills down the stretch in the final game and the T-Wolves, after a tie at 18, cruised the rest of the way.
“We played really good and we did what we needed to do,” LC coach Jen Kelly said. “We were getting up balls that we normally don’t get up, and everyone did what they were supposed to do.”
“In LC’s second game, it was all Eagle early and often, as the Mustangs, who haven’t been beaten by an Idaho team in two years, got 13 kills and five stuff blocks from 6-4 senior Brittany Hewitt.
Johnson, who had three kills in the match, said victory never crossed the minds of the T-Wolves.
“We just wanted to get where we’re supposed to be and do our jobs,” Kelly said. “Really, we just wanted to get ready for tomorrow – and not get hit in the face.”