Lake City joins Coeur d’Alene for State 5A volleyball

Jen Owen would like to think this was supposed to be the Lake City High volleyball team’s route to state all along.

The co-Inland Empire League champion Timberwolves earned a berth to state Saturday in a 5A play-in match, topping Timberline of Boise 25-19, 20-25, 25-17, 25-19 at Grangeville.

Lake City (22-8) goes to state where it will join Region I champ Coeur d’Alene (19-7) when the two-day tourney begins Friday at Burley High School.

“We started as well as we have all year,” Owen said of LC’s opening-game win against Timberline. “It’s the best we’ve played all year. We were intense and we had a lot of emotion and we ran an offense that was unstoppable. I felt like we were playing in a state tournament today.”

CdA takes on District III third seed Capital while LC will face District III runner-up Centennial.

In other 5A openers, two-time defending state champ Idaho Falls, the District IV-V-VI winner, takes on District III fourth seed Boise, and favorite Eagle, the District III champ, goes against District IV-V-VI runner-up Skyline of Idaho Falls.

Here’s a look at the other state tournaments:

4A

Sandpoint (18-5) coasted to the Region I title Saturday, and the Bulldogs are headed to the state tourney Friday at Kimberly High School.

The Bulldogs will open against Century of Pocatello, which won a play-in match. In other openers, District III champ Skyview of Nampa takes on District IV-V runner-up Wood River; District IV-V champ Preston goes against District III third seed Emmett; and District VI champ Bonneville meets District III runner-up Kuna.

Defending champ Moscow did not qualify.

3A

St. Maries (24-5), state runner-up a year ago, is the highest-returning placer. The tourney begins Friday at Wendell High School.

Defending champ Middleton moved up to 4A this year.

St. Maries will take on Shelley, a play-in qualifier, when the tourney begins Friday. Priest River (11-13), which defeated Payette in a play-in match, goes against District IV champ Buhl. In other openers, District III champ Fruitland goes against District V champ Bear Lake, and District VI champ Sugar-Salem takes on District IV runner-up Filer.

2A

Nampa Christian returns to try to defend its state title.

The tourney begins Friday at Buhl High School. Here are the opening matches: District III champ Nampa Christian faces District VI runner-up Challis; District IV champ Valley goes against Grace; District II champ Kamiah meets District III runner-up Melba; and Soda Springs goes against District VI champ Butte County.

1A

The 16-team tourney begins a day earlier, Thursday, at Declo High School.

Wallace (23-5) captured the District I title Saturday. Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy (13-7) rallied to knock off Clark Fork and earn the small CdA school’s first trip to state in a team sport.

The field is divided into four four-team pods. Each team plays three matches, with the top two teams from each pod advancing to double-elimination play Friday.

The complete list of qualifiers wasn’t determined until late Saturday.