Traffic Jams Won’t Be In The Street

If you’re planning on attending the State A-1 and A-2 volleyball tournaments today at Lake City High School, you might be wise to wear elbow pads and chin guards.

There shouldn’t be any problem getting a seat in the gym. But you may have a battle finding your way in.

Lake City students will be in session all day. As a result, trying to walk to the gym or from the gym to your car could be an adventure. The long hallway and commons/cafeteria area near the gym will be filled periodically with students, creating what could become a chaotic atmosphere.

LC administrators aren’t tickled about the extra congestion. Their request that the school day be shortened by half was denied by the school board.

After school concludes, people attending the state tournaments will be treated to one of the top facilities in the state.

Here’s hoping that crowded hallways during the morning/early afternoon session won’t keep LC from being selected as a future host.

The singing Bulldogs

If you hear the Sandpoint High School fight song being sung Saturday night at LC, it’ll mean the Bulldogs have defended their State A-1 championship.

It could also signify something else of significance - An A-1 title won by an undefeated team.

Oh, the Bulldogs could lose in the double-elimination tournament, as they did last year, and still defend their crown. But it’s not likely.

The 1994 Sandpoint team would be spiked off the court by this year’s team.

Knowing he had something special early in the year, Sandpoint coach Jeff Hurst tried to keep his team’s interest in their matches.

“We didn’t do it at the beginning of the year because we were playing real well and were pretty excited,” Hurst said. “Then it (winning) started getting humdrum. Pretty soon (winning) became monotonous. We’d win 15-3, 15-4 and walk off the court and say ‘Ok, let’s go home.’

“So we decided at crucial matches if we won, we’d sing our fight song. We got excited about that.”

Powerful rotation

Sandpoint’s opponents had better get a side out quickly when the rotation featuring Alli Nieman in the front row and Tiwi Bond behind the service line is up.

“We’ve scored a lot of points out of that rotation,” Hurst said.

Sandpoint has closed out several games and matches in that rotation. Actually, any rotation with Nieman near the net can be lethal.

New opportunities

Many coaches find playing teams they don’t know anything about at state troubling.

Not for Hurst. It’s quite the opposite for him.

“The thing I’m excited about at state is first-team opportunities,” he said. “Playing these teams at regionals, some for the fourth or fifth time … Come on. I’ve had enough. It won’t be a thing where we know their tendencies and they know our tendencies. Teams won’t know where we hit the ball, where to set up to dig or to block, that kind of thing.”

Old hat

Sandpoint is making its 18th straight state appearance.

During that span, the Bulldogs have won seven titles, finished runner-up five times, placed third once and fourth once. Sandpoint has finished first, second, second in its last three state trips.

Going in style

The drive to Twin Falls for the Clark Fork Wampus Cats didn’t seem as long as usual.

Why? Simple reason. The Wampus Cats traveled in a chartered bus instead of one of those yellow bananas in the school district fleet.

“It’s a first for us and we’re excited about it,” Clark Fork coach Sandy Ross said.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN - State volleyball notebook