Lake City makes beautiful music

Lake City High student Emily Krieger set the ‘tune’ for Tuesday night’s 5A Region I volleyball finale with her drop-dead gorgeous rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Then the top-seed Timberwolves took over and didn’t miss a note in a three-game sweep of No. 3 Lewiston that sends LC to a state play-in match Saturday in Grangeville.

Lake City (18-8) will face the Boise area’s District III fifth-place team, which will not be determined until Thursday. The match is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

The Timberwolves were cross after suffering a sweep at the hands of No. 2 Coeur d’Alene in Saturday’s championship match, seizing the momentum early against the Bengals and never letting up in the 25-16, 25-12, 25-19 victory.

Senior middle hitter Riki Moreland – a spark all night for LC whether in the back row, front row or serving the ball – said her team had something to prove.

“After losing to Coeur d’Alene, who came into that match pretty intense after beating Lewiston, all of us seniors got together in the locker room and called a team meeting,” said Moreland, who had team-highs with 12 kills and six aces along with three blocks and six digs. “We said, ‘OK, this is going to be our last night playing in this gym, and we really want to go to state.’

“We just wanted to come out and prove to everyone that we are better than that, and we are a team that’s capable of winning at state.”

The first game was close in the early going until, with LC up 13-9, Moreland keyed a five-point rally with a driving jump serve that at times seemed too much for the Bengals to handle.

Fed all night by senior setter Caitlin Crimp, bookend senior middle hitter Kaylen Meredith came up big for the Timberwolves, ripping four of her 10 kills in the game.

Lewiston got as close as five in the second game, with senior outside hitter Kristin Parvin knocking down back-to-back smacks in a five-point run that made it 15-10.

But LC answered with another onslaught of offense that included two kills each from senior outside hitters Tabitha Mabrey and Brenna Lawson, ending the game with a 10-4 run.

The Bengals, who have only made a single trip to state in school history, that in1985, and had extraordinarily high expectations for this year’s squad, did not go quietly in the third game.

After eight ties and four lead changes, Lewiston tied it for the final time at 18 apiece, but was only able to manage one more point the rest of the way before the LC celebration began.

LC coach Jen Owen, whose team played stellar defense, scrambling for several pancake saves and refusing to let a ball hit the floor without an all-out dive, reserved special praise for one player.

“The difference between today and Saturday is the play of Riki Moreland,” Owen said. “In every aspect of the game she was more at ease, more confident and she was playing Riki Moreland ball.

“And we need that.”

Owen did, however, stop short of dusting off a shelf in the LCHS trophy case.

“We’re not where we need to be, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.