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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Colville coach Bennett may have best team

Missy Bennett’s plan when she took a teaching position and the head volleyball coaching job at Colville in 1987 was to pay a few bills and return to the life she knew previously as a starving college assistant coach.

Here it is 24 years later and Bennett is still at Colville.

Her days are numbered now at Colville. She technically has qualified for retirement.

“I’m not quite done yet,” Bennett, 53, said the other day, “but I can see the end in sight.”

Bennett admittedly isn’t a numbers person. She couldn’t even begin to guess how many wins she’s had at Colville.

“All I know is we won our last game and what our chances of winning our next game,” she said. “I don’t keep track.”

Two numbers Bennett can keep track of these days, though, are one in the same – the number of losses and where her team is ranked in the state coaches’ 1A rankings. Try No. 1.

Finishing tops at state a year ago is where Bennett thought her team should have ended. After all, Colville had defeated eventual state champ Chelan at regionals and state runner-up King’s at the Crossover Classic.

The Indians, a mixture of sophomores and juniors a year ago, lost their state opener before winning three straight to take fifth.

“I thought we frittered away our chance at state,” Bennett said.

A year older and perhaps wiser, Colville is 25-1 and just secured a second straight league title. The Indians’ lone loss was to Bellarmine Prep, ranked No. 1 in 4A, in the semifinals at the Crossover.

Colville, which is seeking to qualify for state for an 11th time under Bennett, owns wins over three Greater Spokane League schools – Shadle Park, North Central and University – and two over Post Falls, one of the top 5A teams in North Idaho.

The Indians aren’t a physically imposing team on the court. Their tallest player is a 5-foot-11 middle blocker. Most of the others are 5-8 or shorter. But watch the Indians for any length of time and you’ll notice few balls hit the floor.

Colville thrives on ball control, accurate serving and athletic serve receive. The Indians will take their share of swings at the net, but they must be intelligent with their hitting.

When Colville was in 2A, it finished state runner-up twice. So when Bennett talks about how good this year’s team is – with state around the corner in November – it’s worth taking note.

“It’s definitely our best team ever,” Bennett said. “A number of girls from our second-place teams have come back and watched. They say these girls are better than they were.”

Bennett – who got her start in coaching in Plummer, Idaho – doesn’t need to know how many years she’s been coaching to know it’s a long time. She judges it better by the fact she’s coaching the next generation of players – the daughters of previous players. The mother of senior middle hitter Ashley Knight was on Bennett’s first team at Colville. Several other younger Indians are daughters of some of Bennett’s first players. In fact, two Indians are the daughters of players on Bennett’s first teams at Plummer.

“I’m feeling very old,” Bennett said.

It’s the play of Knight and seniors Erin Little (MH), Tasji Urhausen (libero), Lexi Lehman (MH) and Rylee Wittmeyer (outside hitter) and juniors Leanna Carr (setter), Jacy Vining (OH), Joellee Buckner and Jessie Glidewell (OH) that has Bennett believing the Indians can capture their first state title.

Knight, for one, isn’t surprised by Colville’s success this season.

“Mentally, we’re much stronger than last year,” Knight said. “Physically, we’re working out butts off. Our hearts were broke last year. We don’t want to put ourselves through that again. We’re not playing completely at our potential yet. We’ve earned everything, but we deserve more. We won’t be pleased until we have a state title.”

Knight gives Bennett all the credit.

“She means the world to all of us,” Knight said. “I can’t imagine a better coach. She’s there for us on the court and off the court. I couldn’t imagine playing for anybody else.”

Mead coach Judy Kight paid Bennett a compliment at the Crossover tourney.

“After our match against Bellarmine Prep, she said, ‘If you guys aren’t the funnest team to watch in the gym I don’t know who is,’ ” Bennett said. “She’s got a million state titles and we’ve got zero.”

Perhaps not for long.