Eagles battle Pe Ell, Walla Walla Valley at 1B state tournament

YAKIMA — No. 13 seed Soap Lake opened the 1B State Volleyball Tournament with a win over No. 20 Pe Ell, advancing past the loser-out game with a 3-0 sweep of the Trojans. 

“They were ready to go,” Soap Lake head coach Niki Noble said. “They wanted to come out and win and show that we deserved to be placed where we are. Have a strong game and a strong win.” 

The Eagles jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, headlined by a 6-0 scoring run; after doubling up Pe Ell with a 16-8 lead, the Trojans cut the lead to 18-12 late in the set. Following an ace by Soap Lake junior Mylee Dana, the Eagles scored the set's final five points to win 25-12, taking a 1-0 lead in the match. 

“We really thrive off of cheering and the crowd cheers,” Noble said. “Sometimes they make a few mistakes, they kind of get in their head a little bit and they have to reset. They reset, then they’re good and they can keep playing hard.” 

Soap Lake ended the opening set with a 7-0 run. 

“It’s all mental; you (make) a mistake, you have to recover from that mistake and say, ‘OK, we’ve got the next one,’” junior Liana Sushik said. “Never drop – always keep trusting one another. Communication is really big.” 

Soap Lake trailed 3-0 early in the second frame, battling back to tie the match at three and then again at eight. After trading scores on six-straight rallies, the Eagles took a 12-11 lead on an ace by junior Sage Hart, which sparked a 7-1 scoring run. Soap Lake won the second set 25-19. 

“After the first set, I think they gained some confidence and might have let up a little bit on having as clean of plays,” Noble said. “We just talked about cleaning up the play and making sure that we have clean passes, clean sets and that we go after it every time. Be ready for anything.” 

Once again, Soap Lake found itself down early to Pe Ell in the third set — this time 7-3 in favor of the Trojans. However, Soap Lake tied the match at eight, and after Pe Ell took the lead again, tied the set at 13 before taking a 15-13 lead on back-to-back aces by Hart. The Eagles held on to the lead for a 25-21 win. 

“(Pe Ell) did a really good job of keeping their heads up, which caused us to rethink our strategy,” Noble said. “We had to adjust, and then we did and pulled ahead.” 

Playing smart was key in turning around the third set, Sushik said. 

“What you can do and adjust to get that point — just have fun,” Sushik said. 

The match against Pe Ell began at 8 a.m. at the Yakima Valley SunDome. 

“It was one of the earliest games, so we came out there confident and ready,” Sushik said. “Our warm-up was amazing.” 

With the win, Soap Lake advanced to play No. 4 Walla Walla Valley Academy on Wednesday afternoon. Tied at 10, the Knights proceeded to go on a 10-1 scoring run to take a significant lead over the Eagles, holding on for a 25-14 win in the opening set.  

The second set played out similarly, with both teams trading punches before being tied at 14; however, Walla Walla Valley went on another scoring run, this time a 7-0 run, though the Eagles battled back to cut the score to 23-20 late. Walla Walla Valley managed to win the set 25-21, and later won the third set 25-12 to win the match. 

“The second match was amazing — we played a great match, I thought we adjusted well,” Noble said. “We don’t see that caliber of hitters in our league at all; the only one that we really see like that is (Waterville-Mansfield junior Hannah Nelson), and she hits outside.” 

Walla Walla Valley used its strong presence in the middle of the court to disrupt Soap Lake’s spike and tip attempts. 

“When you’re not used to it, just like on defense, it’s tough to get a block up for that,” Noble said. “We did make that change and put Janessa Knudsen in to get a block, and she got a touch on it a couple of times. I thought that was really great; in practice, she’s a standout blocker.” 

Soap Lake played No. 12 Willapa Valley Wednesday night, but scores were not available in time for press deadline. 

    Soap Lake junior Brooke Dana (10) tips the ball over the net against Pe Ell Wednesday morning at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
  

    Eagle players celebrate after blocking a spiked ball during Wednesday’s match against Pe Ell in Yakima.
  

    Soap Lake junior Liana Sushik jumps up to hit the ball over the net against Pe Ell Wednesday in the 1B State Volleyball Tournament.