Cougars let one slip on by

But Warden makes playoffs on convoluted disqualification

WARDEN - Forgive the Lady Cougars for coming out flat in what was to be the one game that would determine whether or not they advanced to the playoffs.

Warden fell to Columbia-Burbank in four games — 25-18, 21-25, 15-25, 19-25 — but are ushered into the playoffs thanks to a strange league ruling.

Coming into the day, Warden's 4-5 league record put them outside of the SCAC 1A district playoff picture. A win against 5-4 Columbia-Burbank would have qualified the Lady Cougars as a fourth seed. A loss would have meant the end of the season.

But just before the start of the match, a league ruling disqualified third-seeded Walla Walla Valley Academy from the playoffs.

"Because Walla Walla is (a) Seventh Day Adventist (school), they cannot play from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday," Warden head coach David Vega said, explaining the ruling. "Because of that they can't play state."

The league ruled that the district playoffs are an extension of the state playoffs, so it would be useless to allow Walla Walla to play in the districts.

The ruling turned what would have been a battle for the playoffs into a jostle for Walla Walla's vacant third seed.

"We still had a lot to play for," Vega said.

Despite the stakes, the Lady Cougars came out like they wanted Burbank to win, falling behind 15-9.

"I put some people in the beginning in positions they don't usually play, so that caused some confusion," Vega said. "We came out a little flat."

Luckily, so did Burbank. The Lady Coyotes gave Warden free scores to keep it close.

That's when Warden's middle-hitters took over. A Mirielle Pixton kill followed by a Jennifer Kottong ace tied the game at 16-16. Pixton's stuff on the next play gave Warden a lead they would not relinquish.

But that would be the only bright spot for Warden all night.

Warden gave free scores on carries and net violations to hand a close second game to Burbank. In game three, the Lady Coyotes jumped out to an 8-0 lead before Warden could score. Warden got strong play from Kottong, who finished with eight kills and nine digs, but it wasn't enough to pull off the match.

"Burbank played much much better than when we beat them (on the road)," Vega said. "They were hustling to every ball. We put balls in places we thought would be winners, but (Burbank) got them up because they were really hustling."

With the loss, Warden takes the fourth seed and will play Goldendale, 9-0 in league play, on Tuesday at Columbia-Burbank.

Vega says his team has a good chance of handing Goldendale a loss.

"We have a shot against them," he said. "If we play the way we can, we can beat anybody."