Eagles reach state tournament for second straight year

SOAP LAKE — After defeating Entiat in the Central Washington 1B district tournament on Saturday, the Soap Lake Eagles will return to the 1B State Volleyball Tournament for the second consecutive season.

The Eagles bested the Tigers 3-1 in the district consolation bracket.

“We were really excited,” head coach Niki Noble said. “Not only did we win when it counted — we got second in districts, and that was the first time that I as a coach have beat Entiat and the first time that any of these girls have beat Entiat.”

Soap Lake had lost to the Tigers twice already this season; a 3-2 road loss Oct. 3, and a 3-1 loss in the semifinals of the district tournament Nov. 5.

“(Saturday), I think that was the most important game we’ve played,” junior Mylee Dana said. “We were all excited, and we walked in the game without feeling nervous about any of it. We just played to have fun.”

After dropping the first set, the Eagles went on to win 3-1.

“We were making a lot of mental mistakes, a lot of errors (in previous games) — this time, going in, I think they were finally ready to mentally keep themselves motivated,” Noble said. 

After falling to the Tigers in the semifinals, Soap Lake matched up against MLCA/CCS in the first round of the district consolation bracket; the Lions had been swept by Waterville-Mansfield in the semifinals, but the Eagles claimed a 3-2 win to advance to the winner-to-state game against Entiat.

Team chemistry was a key factor in the win over the Tigers, said junior Sage Hart.

“Being able to recreate those bonds again, and communicate, is I think what made us where we are now,” Hart said.

Last year, the Central Washington 1B league sent three teams to the state tournament in Yakima; this year, that number was shortened to just two teams. For Soap Lake, who finished third in the regular season league standings, it would take a significant effort to make it back to the Yakima Valley SunDome.

“All of a sudden, it was like, ‘Oh, there’s a chance we might not — we really have to fight for this,’” Noble said. 

The Eagles snapped a 32-year state tournament drought last season, receiving a No. 19 seed in the tournament and defeating No. 14 Darrington 3-1 in the first round. After falling to No. 3 Mossyrock in the second round, the Eagles were eliminated with a 3-2 loss to No. 11 Entiat. 

This season, Soap Lake (16-3) received the No. 13 seed and takes on No. 20 Pe Ell on Wednesday morning.

Soap Lake returned several players from last year’s state tournament team, which was mostly comprised of sophomores. In fact, the Eagles don’t have a single senior on their roster this season; despite a roster of juniors and underclassmen, Dana said this hasn’t held them back.

“I feel like all we need for a team is just people who are willing to put in the work, and the players that we have — we all push each other, and we know that we can do anything despite age or lack of experience,” Dana said. “If we really want it, we’re going to all fight for it and work for it.”

Soap Lake takes on Pe Ell at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Yakima Valley SunDome. The winner advances to play No. 4 Walla Walla Valley Academy at 1:30 p.m., while the loser is eliminated.

“I think a lot of them are early risers anyway, so they’re more excited and prepared in the mornings than what you might think,” Noble said. “I think that helped us out on Saturday, that it was a morning game.”

    Soap Lake eighth-grader Marina Zubritskiy jumps up to spike the ball during a match against Republic on Sept. 28.
  

    Soap Lake junior Mylee Dana serves the ball during a Sept. 28 match against Republic in Soap Lake.