St. Maries Wins 15th Straight Regional Crown

It’s a bit more bumpy, but the road to the State A-2 volleyball tournament still goes through St. Maries.

The youthful Lumberjacks beat Lakeland 15-2, 15-13 in the championship game of the Region I-II tournament at Lakeland High School on Saturday night.

“These teams in the Intermountain League have gotten so much better,” admitted St. Maries senior defensive specialist Angie Epler. “We have such a young team, it’s hard to get an aggressive attitude.”

That’s a switch for the Lumberjacks, who’ve dominated the state A-2 ranks since the early 1980s. Epler’s 35 digs sparked St. Maries to its 15th straight regional title.

Lakeland secured the region’s second state tournament berth with a 15-8, 15-5 victory over Bonners Ferry.

State opens Friday at Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene.

St. Maries (22-4) draws Weiser in the opening round at 2:30 p.m. Lakeland (12-12) meets Preston, the defending state champ, in its first match at 11:30 a.m. The other openers pair Emmett against Snake River and Wood River against Shelley.

“This is the first year I’ve even played all around (the full rotation),” Epler said. “Back row is my absolute favorite. Nothing feels better than digging up a really hard ball that no one thought you could get.”

The 5-foot-3 Epler got a hand on plenty of those balls in the regional, including 33 digs in a three-game win over the Badgers.

“I don’t think anything was really expected; we had to earn this,” St. Maries coach Mitch Santos said. “It is the most awesome accomplishment with a young team.

“I’ve never seen the league with this much talent and this much parity.”

The Lumberjacks never let the Hawks in the first game, as sophomore Alicia Adams served six consecutive points, including two aces, to build an 8-0 lead.

But St. Maries couldn’t shake Lakeland in the second game. The lead changed hands nine times and there were four ties.

The Lumberjacks used a soft tip by senior middle hitter Amanda Tams for the game’s final sideout. Tams served for match point, which was converted on a kill by sophomore Bridgette O’Dwyer.

Tams finished with 13 kills and four solo blocks. Senior Cora Christensen led the Hawks with four kills.

“We talked about not leaving our emotions on the floor,” Lakeland coach Claudia Collins said. “Our main goal was to make it to state.”

The Hawks were one of four teams tied for third in the league standings. A coin toss left Lakeland the No. 6 regional seed.

The serving of Hawks senior Sara Chiappe, along with the net play of 5-10 junior Amber Jamison and 5-9 senior Jenni Borg, broke Bonners Ferry (11-15). Chiappe served the last four points of the first game, including three aces.

An ace by Jamison and a Badgers’ hitting error staked Lakeland to a 10-5 lead in the second game

Borg recorded kills on the next three rotations, including a cross-court ball that sent Chiapee to serve the game and match out. A kill by Christensen and blocks by Christensen and Borg made it 14-5. Match point came off a hitting error.

Jamison tallied eight kills. Borg added six kills and six digs.

“(The Hawks) got momentum, and they took off,” Badgers coach Janis Tucker said. “They hit real hard. It’s hard to get back momentum when you’re playing against a good team.”

All-league teams

All Intermountain League selections: First team - Eanna Aaron (Bonners Ferry); Cora Christensen (Lakeland); Angie Epler (St. Maries); Amanda Tams (St. Maries); Amy Lemm (Moscow); Becky Reynolds (Moscow).

Second team - Jacey Vogrig (Priest River); Sara Suchocki (Priest River); Rachel Downing (Bonners Ferry); Jessica Venard (Bonners Ferry); Amber Jamison (Lakeland); Jenni Borg (Lakeland).