State volleyball: Defending champion Mt. Spokane advances to 3A semifinals

Tia Allen had 11 kills with 11 digs, Leilani Ama had 20 assists and defending state champion Mt. Spokane (27-2), ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by the state coaches’ association, beat fifth-ranked Arlington (25-2) in straight sets (25-23, 25-10, 25-20) in a State 3A quarterfinal at the Yakima SunDome on Friday.

The Wildcats will play Kelso (24-4) in a semifinal Saturday at 1 pm. Capital faces Roosevelt in the other semifinal. The championship match is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Mt. Spokane survived a tough first set before surging past the Eagles.

“They’re here on business,” Mt. Spokane coach Dave Whitehead said of his squad.

“With the early start time for our first-round match (8 a.m.), the girls were warming up a 6:30 at the YMCA next to our hotel to get ready. They know what they need to do to be prepared.”

Sophia Bertotti-Metoyer added eight kills with three blocks, while Teila Allen had seven kills and 16 assists for the Wildcats.

“We’re in the tough part of the tournament now,” Whitehead said. “Arlington is a very good team. (Saturday) will be very challenging.”

The Wildcats topped seventh-ranked Seattle Prep (17-6) in straight sets (25-10, 25-19, 25-21) in a first-round match earlier in the day.

Tia Allen had nine kills with 14 digs and Leilana Ama had 18 assists in the opening match.

4A

Kendall Buries had 11 kills and Mead (14-6) came from a set down to beat Eastlake in five sets (23-25, 25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 15-6) in a State 4A loser-out in the seventh-place bracket.

Mead faces Camas in a loser out Saturday at 11 a.m.

Allie Flynn had 33 assists while Castan Sturm had 42 digs with three service aces.

Earlier in the day, the fourth-ranked Panthers lost a competitive first-round match in four sets (29-27, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23) to 10th-ranked Auburn Riverside (13-5) and was relegated.