Lake City cuts down on mistakes, earns berth

It’s amazing what cutting down on hitting errors can do for a volleyball team.

Lake City committed just six miscues and defeated Lewiston 27-25, 25-13, 26-24 Tuesday night to move on in the 5A Region I volleyball tournament.

Second-seeded LC (18-10) advances to the championship at No. 1 Coeur d’Alene (11-13) Thursday at 7 p.m., with the winner earning an automatic state berth and the loser traveling to Grangeville for a play-in match on Saturday.

Lewiston, which finishes its season 11-13, played the T-Wolves tough in the first game, never falling behind by more than four and taking the lead 25-24 on Mandie Edmonson’s soft touch to an open spot in the middle.

But the Bengals didn’t score again and LC got the game-winning point on Caitlin Crimp’s hit from the back row.

Game 2 was all Lake City and turned into the Kaylen Meredith show down the stretch. The junior middle hitter recorded three of her team-high 14 kills and added a big block to help put away the Bengals.

In the third game, LC pushed the lead to 22-15 on Christina Lynn’s service ace. But a stretch of erratic LC play let Lewiston back in, and the Bengals battled to tie it at 24 apiece.

The T-Wolves, however, got it back together and ended the match on a kill by Tabitha Mabrey and a well-placed shot by Riki Moreland.

For T-Wolves coach Jen Owen, the increase in the accuracy of her team’s hitting was a welcome relief.

“We didn’t make nearly as many hitting errors as we have been, and to see that is fantastic,” Owen said. “And we had a really tough week, emotionally, last week so I was really proud of the way the girls bounced back.”

Meredith pointed to the setting of Renee Bordelon and Caitlin Crimp, who had 15 and 13 assists, respectively, as the key to the match and looked ahead to Thursday.

“They were putting the ball right where it needed to be all night long,” Meredith said. “That match against Coeur d’Alene is going to be tough because we’ve seen each other so much.

“We’re going to have to mix up our hitting and speed up our offense if we’re going to be successful.”

Owen said it was just a matter of time before Meredith’s emergence as an offensive force.

“She played really well against Lakeland last Thursday and had a career high in kills for us – she’s seeing the court really well,” Owen said. “She’s someone that I feel comfortable with at all times with the ball in her hands.

“It’s not a surprise, but we’ve seen her break out – and it’s happening at the right time.”

Bordelon was again outstanding for Lake City, adding eight kills and four digs.

Senior Kelli Bridges – called the team’s “silent leader” by Owen – led the way for the Timberwolves with 14 digs.