Warden earns spot in playoffs
ALSO: Kittitas 3, Wilson Creek 1 - Ellensburg 3, Ephrata 0 - Columbia-Burbank 3, Royal 1 -
Prep volleyball recaps
BENTON CITY - The Warden Lady Cougars volleyball team finished South Central Athletic Conference play with three wins in four matches.
As a result, they'll get at least one more match.
Warden earned the East Division's fifth playoff spot with a five-game road win over the Kiona-Benton Bears on Thursday night. The Cougars can thank their defensive effort, as Brandi Kisler came up with 33 digs and Kelsey Garner had 23 in the 25-19, 18-25, 25-22, 24-26, 15-12 win.
"The girls didn't let the ball hit the ground," Warden head coach Jeff Kottong said. "We probably didn't have as good an attacking game as we've had sometimes, but when you keep the ball in play, you really help yourselves."
Brandi Kisler, who had what Kottong felt was one of her best all-around efforts of the season, also recorded eight kills and two blocks. Garner was 22 for 22 serving with two aces and four kills. Emma Bisnett chipped in eight kills and three blocks, while Cassandra Kisler was 19 of 20 serving with one ace and a team-high 18 assists.
The Lady Cougars will play the Granger Spartans, the West Division's No. 4 seed, in a loser-out game on Saturday at 11 a.m. The winner advances to the district tournament's double-elimination round.
"We're looking forward to the playoffs," Kottong added. "We're excited about trying to take care of business Saturday and going on in districts."
Kittitas 3, Wilson Creek 1
KITTITAS - The visiting Devils started slowly and lost their final North Central Washington League road match to the Coyotes on Thursday, falling 14-25, 26-24, 20-25, 21-25.
"The girls came flat, which is unfortunate," Wilson Creek head coach Mike Ottis said. "I was kind of hoping to carry some momentum into Saturday's match, but I guess that wasn't the case."
Wilson Creek's Ksenja Fredere led all players with 24 kills, went 11 for 11 from the service line and added five blocks. Tiffany Friend dished out 20 assists and was also 11 of 11 serving with two aces. Holly Wilson collected seven kills and three blocks.
The Devils finish their regular season with Senior Day on Saturday, hosting Moses Lake Christian at 10 a.m.
Ellensburg 3, Ephrata 0
ELLENSBURG - The Tigers were swept in their final Central Washington Athletic Conference match on Thursday, losing 16-25, 21-25, 14-25 to the Bulldogs.
Ephrata, which dropped to 6-7 in North Division play, got nine kills, 12 digs and a block from Britney Ratigan. Briana Moser added four kills and four blocks, Alex DeHoog had eight digs, and BreAnne Duff had two kills and seven digs.
The Tigers open the district playoffs on Tuesday against a yet-to-be announced opponent.
Columbia-Burbank 3, Royal 1
BURBANK - The Lady Knights had a strong start on the Coyotes' Senior Night, but ended up losing their SCAC finale 25-17, 10-25, 26-28, 25-27.
"I think Columbia-Burbank just came alive," Royal head coach Ashley Roberts said of the reason her team lost. "The second game they had one server who just completely destroyed our serve receive."
After a poor game two, however, the Knights kept their spirits up and could've taken either one of the last two games.
"My girls really played their little hearts out," Roberts added.
Kelcy Jansen notched a team-high 11 kills for Royal and Janae Anderson led the way with 13 assists. Leslie Brown added eight assists, four kills and four blocks, while Olivia Christensen blocked five Burbank shots.
The Knights, fourth-seeded out of the East Division, will host a first-round playoff game on Saturday. They'll take on the Mabton Vikings, fifth seed from the West, at 2 p.m.