Local volleyball squads finish up with strong outings at state

by Neil Pierson<br>Herald Sports Editor
| November 13, 2007 8:00 PM

YAKIMA - The Moses Lake Christian Lady Lions finished fourth last Friday at the 1B state volleyball championships at the SunDome.

Moses Lake Christian secured the highest placing in school history at the event by knocking off a pair of opponents in Saturday's consolation matches. The Lions swept the Entiat Tigers to move into the trophy round, then swept the Klickitat Vandals in the match for fourth and seventh places.

Moses Lake Christian opened the tournament last Thursday with a three-game sweep of the Crescent Loggers before dropping its quarterfinal match in four games to the eventual state champions from Tekoa-Oakesdale.

Against North Central League rival Entiat, the Lions earned their third victory in as many meetings with the Tigers this season. Moses Lake Christian won 25-19, 25-19, 25-17 as Esther Timofeyev collected 19 kills, 16 digs and four aces. Ashley Cole distributed 24 assists and chipped in 12 digs. Heidi Sandberg added 14 digs, seven kills and four blocks. Chelsea Allsbrook had a team-high 19 digs.

Later that day, Moses Lake Christian secured fourth place with a 25-17, 25-7, 25-16 romp over Klickitat. Timofeyev again had a huge all-around game, finishing with 23 kills, 10 digs and five blocks. Sandberg, Allsbrook and Lindsay Brader all tied for the team lead with 18 digs apiece. Sandberg added seven kills and two blocks, while Allsbrook served three aces. Cole had 32 assists in her final high school match.

The Lions, coached by Dean Spurbeck and Jonda Spurbeck, graduate six seniors this year - Madison Jennings, Jessica Jachetta, Sandberg, Cole, Allsbrook and Brader.

Timofeyev, the league's Most Valuable Player this fall, is eligible to return next year along with Kaylee Firouzi, Rebecca Verhage, Stephanie Friehe, Melissa Verhage and Chelsea Yarbro.

Odessa Tigers

Odessa moved into the semifinals of the 1B tournament before losing its final two matches on Friday.

The Lady Tigers, who went 7-6 during the regular season and qualified for state with a relatively young roster - just four seniors - started hot in Yakima. They swept the Lake Quinault Elks in Thursday's opener, 25-13, 28-26 and 25-22, then won their quarterfinal match in a thrilling, five-game slugfest with Entiat (25-19, 25-14, 16-25, 20-25, 15-7).

In Friday's semifinal match with Tekoa-Oakesdale, Odessa dropped a 25-8, 25-12, 25-11 decision to the Nighthawks, the eventual state champions. In the trophy match for third and sixth places, the Tigers lost in four games to the Lacrosse-Washtucna Tigercats (27-29, 26-24, 16-25, 17-25).

Odessa, coached by Ken Scherr, graduates four seniors in defensive specialist Jordan Frederick, outside hitter Kenna Schutz, setter Taylor Walter and middle hitter Raye Galloway.

The Tigers' state roster also included Mackenze Braun, Caitlyn Johnson, Christina Johnson, Courtney Clouter, Jessica Heimbigner, Rylee Paris, Kayli Smith and Stephanie Holman.

Lind-Ritzville Broncos

The Lady Broncos met a similar fate in the 2B tournament that started Friday and concluded Saturday, winning their first two matches before losing their last two and settling for sixth place.

Lind-Ritzville, which finished 8-6 during regular-season play, began the tournament with a 25-19, 27-25, 25-19 sweep of the Rainier Christian Mustangs, a team that had lost just once during the regular season. The Broncos earned a spot in the semifinals courtesy of a 3-1 victory over the Toutle Lake Ducks, winning 15-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-18.

In Saturday's semifinal match, the Broncos met up with the 2006 state champion La Conner Braves. La Conner swept the match 25-15, 25-11, 25-18 and went on to defend its state title with a four-game victory over Manson.

Lind-Ritzville had a shot at third place, but dropped a five-game heartbreaker to Northeast League rival Wilbur-Creston. The Wildcats rallied twice to win 10-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 16-14.

The Broncos, coached by Jennifer Kuch, were an experienced club that featured seven seniors. The team will have to replace outgoing players Kaitlin Fowles, Heather Hunt, Laura Cain, Kayla Gardner, Stephanie Steinberger, Danielle Sackmann and Elissa Bouwman. Other state competitors included Elena Hennings, Suzanne Gust, Stacey Dewald, Devon Killian and Kelsey Arlt.