District volleyball preview: Mead looking to build on successful Greater Spokane League season with state berth

One year after capturing the district title en route to a second-place finish at state, Mead volleyball is geared up to make another deep postseason push.

But getting into the 3A state bracket is never a guarantee coming out of the punishing District 8 tournament.

“It’s really tough when you look at rankings and some of the teams like Kennewick and Walla Walla that we don’t know as well,” Mead coach Shawn Wilson said. “And then we know our GSL teams and they are so tough. Night to night you never know what can happen in a setting like this.

“I know the three teams that do come out of this district should do really well at state.”

The Panthers along with Mt. Spokane, Ridgeline, Ferris and University will battle with a trio of Mid-Columbia Conference foes for three state sports when the District 8 tournament begins Tuesday around the region.

Mead earned the tournament’s top seed after an unbeaten run through Greater Spokane League play. The Panthers, who stand at No. 4 in the WIAA’s 3A RPI rankings, host U-Hi in the opening round at Mead.

“Being at home is super nice, especially if we had to travel to the Tri-Cities – it’s a pain for our players and our fans,” Wilson said of having the home-court advantage through the tournament. “Getting our fans here and being comfortable in our gym is a huge plus.”

Other first-round matchups include Ridgeline at Walla Walla, Hermiston at Spokane and Ferris at second-seeded Kennewick.

Both teams that advance to the Nov. 9 title game will move on to the state tournament, which takes place Nov. 17-18 at the Yakima Valley SunDome in Yakima. The third representative will be the winner of the elimination bracket.

“This team has the same potential that the title team two years ago and the second-place team last year had,” Wilson said. “We feel that strong about our chances, but you also never know what you are going to run into from the west side teams. That’s the fun and interesting part of state.”

4A: Gonzaga Prep earned the No. 2 seed in the district tournament and will open its postseason run Wednesday at home against Hanford. MCC champion Kamiakin is the top seed.

The Bullpups are the second-ranked team in 4A RPI.

Also hosting a first-round game is fourth-seeded Central Valley, which will play Richland. Lewis and Clark travels to Chiawana in its opener.

The tournament champion will earn a spot into the 4A state tournament, while the loser of the title game will have to fight back through the elimination bracket, since the district is only awarded two state spots.

2A: After rolling through the GSL 2A slate with just one loss, Shadle Park earned the top seed and a first-round bye into the six-team district tournament.

First-round games featuring Rogers at Pullman and East Valley at Clarkston take place Thursday, with the winners of each advancing to play either the Highlanders (seventh in 2A RPI) or second-seeded West Valley in loser-out contests on Saturday at Rogers High School.

The tournament is single-elimination with both championship contenders earning a spot to state, which takes place Nov. 10-11 at the SunDome. The GSL contingent avoids any crossovers with the Central Washington Athletic Conference, which includes three teams in the top 16 of the RPI rankings.

1A: Freeman had little resistance on its way to a regular-season Northeast A League title. The same was true for the district tournament, which concluded last Saturday with the Scotties (No. 7 in 1A RPI) sweeping second-seed Lakeside.

While Freeman earned a state berth with the win, there is still work to be done for the Eagles and third-place Deer Park to make state. The pair will play in crossover games against Caribou Trail League foes Saturday with both winners to state. Lakeside will host Cashmere, while the Stags travel to Chelan.

2B: Much like 1A, the district dust has already settled for the Northeast 2B teams with second-seeded Colfax upsetting top-seeded Lind-Ritzville-Sprague to claim the district title. Those two teams will be joined by Chewelah, Northwest Christian and Liberty in the winter-to-state/loser-out District 6/7 crossover on Saturday.

District 6 opponents have yet to be determined, but Northwest Christian and Chewelah will play at Omak High School, while Liberty, LRS and Colfax will be at Mead.

The 1B and 2B state tournaments will take place Nov. 8-9 at the SunDome.

1B: Two-time defending state champion Oakesdale brings its unbeaten league record into the District 9 tournament, which concludes Saturday with a championship game at Dayton High School. The bracket for the District 7 1B tournament, which begins Thursday, has yet to be finalized.