11/15/2024
By Sandy Ringer
(Yakima, WA) The Yakima SunDome was again the setting for the 1A State Volleyball Tournament. Chelan was looking to continue their dominance seeing their 5th straight Championship. The target is clearly on the Mountain Goats. Who would take their swings at the reigning Champs was the question. This story will cover all 26 matches.
1A State Tournament
Saturday, November 16 Day 2
State Championship Match
Crt 3 (1) Chelan 3, (2) Cascade Christian 0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-17)
State Championship Recap
Tradition helped carry them to the brink of history.
Trust keyed their ability to carve a piece of it.
After a shaky start, the top-seeded Chelan Mountain Goats captured their fifth consecutive Class 2A state volleyball championship Saturday night at the Yakima Valley SunDome. They defeated No. 2 Cascade Christian of Puyallup in straight sets (27-25, 25-15, 25-17).
They join Mead of Spokane as the only programs to win five straight titles. The Panthers swept five 4A crowns from 2003-07.
“It feels amazing,” Chelan junior Brynn Hughbanks said. “It’s surreal. To have five in a row, it’s crazy.”
The match started two hours late as the tournament fell behind.
Anyone thinking Chelan would cruise wasn’t giving Cascade Christian enough credit. The Cougars might not have the pedigree, but no one can question their passion.
They raised some eyebrows after a 7-0 run gave them a 23-20 lead in the opening set.
That’s where that trust came into play.
“In the beginning, I think people were a little bit on edge,” said Hughbanks, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter with major hops. “But we had the confidence inside of us and we trust our teammates. We play for our teammates and so in the end we know we can lean on them whenever we need to.”
The Mountain Goats like to lean on Hughbanks, who stood out as the match MVP with 19 kills. Sophomore setter Brookly Foyle piled up 27 assists.
Lydia Petersen, one of only two seniors on the Cheland roster (along with Kenzy Avery), chipped in nine kills.
Hughbanks said the team played with that pair in mind.
“They mean a lot to our team so it’s really special to be able to end like this for them,” she said.
Cascade Christian, which had never placed higher than fourth, earned set points at 24-23 and 25-24, but Chelan closed with a 3-0 spurt thanks in part to a pair of blocks by 5-10 sophomore Esther Petersen.
Coach Abby Lewellen took just one time out during the early madness, at 23-20.
“I let them work through it mostly,” she said. “We just came together and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this. We’re winning this game. Don’t think of anything differently.’ And they went out and they executed it.”
Chelan didn’t lose a set in the tournament and dropped only four all season – two of those to Wenatchee, the defending 4A champion, during an invitational tourney.
Lewellen looked for the nearest chair after the confetti flew and celebrations ended, for good reason. She gave birth to her first child – son, Frankie – just eight days earlier. Lewellen is a 2014 Chelan graduate and was part of the 2011 team that won a title.
The hot start is exactly what Cascade Christian had in mind.
“The underdog is always a great place to be and I think we brought it to them that first set, assistant coach Jenny Walling said. “We had the lead and that first set could have been ours. But they responded really well and put up a fight and today they were the better team. That’s what happens. Congratulations to them.”
Senior Layne Dent did her part with a match-high 20 kills, while junior Jenica Walling added seven. Senior setter Ryann Fortenberry delivered 16 assists.
Despite the loss, head coach Mylea Hughes focused on the big picture.
“It’s a dream,” she said of the season overall. “It’s been a magical year for us.
She credited the team’s faith.
“We truly dedicated this season to Jesus,” Hughes said. “The girls love Him and they love each other. We built an incredible community together and watching them play for each other and play for the Lord’s glory is a beautiful thing.”
Lewellen, in her fourth season, said a major key to the Mountain Goats’ success is the year-round competition the girls get.
“Our team plays a lot of volleyball in the off-season for sure, which is really, really cool,” she said. “We have a really really talented club program (Kahiau Volleyball Club), so they’re playing since they’ve been tiny.
“But other than that, we work so hard on the mental game and I really believe that sports are a way for us to be able to teach kids life lessons and life skills and how to become just better people in the process. So, we really focus on being good people first and being good teammates and not making it about yourself. Typically, when kids are able to buy into that, they play for each other and it’s really fun to way. I’d say that’s our magic is they love playing for each other, and it’s not about them.”
Hughbanks said they are already planning to play for another championship.
“Absolutely – we’re going for six now,” she said.
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
ESN Postgame Show
Chelan comes back to take critical set 1
Cascade Christian pushes opener to set point
Chelan finishes off their 5th straigtht Title
Semifinals (Winner to Championship, Loser to 3rd-place game)
Ct 1 (2) Cascade Christian 3, (3) La Center 1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-21)
Ct 2 (1) Chelan 3, (4) Cedar Park Christian 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-17)
Semifinal Round Recap
It’s not just the wins. It’s the wipeouts.
Top-seeded Chelan has yet to drop a set in this year’s tournament, adding another 3-0 victory – this one over No. 4 Cedar Park Christian of Bothell – to climb back into the title match for fifth straight season.
The Mountain Goats square off against No. 2 Cascade Christian of Puyallup Saturday at 8 p.m. Cascade Christian makes its championship debut after edging No. 3 La Center, 3-1.
Chelan lost just one set in the 2023 tourney, that coming in the final against Freeman, and was perfect in 2021 (the Mountain Goats gave up a pair of sets in the ’22 event and dropped four in 2019).
Brynn Hughbanks, a 5-9 junior, blocked Cedar Park’s final kill attempt to seal Saturday’s semifinal victory and got the MVP vote.
Aubrey Fredrickson did her best to keep the Eagles in it with strong play at the net.
Cedar Park, fifth last year and seventh in 2022, goes for third place at 4:15 against La Center – last year’s third-place finisher.
The Wildcats had bigger plans heading into their semifinal with Cascade Christian. They started strong with a 25-19 win as seniors Billie Ross and Esther Langeliers collected six kills apiece.
But MVP Layne Dent answered with 10 kills and a block in a 25-17 second set to pull Cascade Christian even. The Cougars then closed out the match, 25-22, 25-21. Dent finished with 26 kills and two blocks. Langeliers wound up with 19 for the Wildcats.
Cascade Christian’s previous best finish was fourth (2022 and 2006).
Trophy Round
Crt 5 3rd/4th Place – (4) Cedar Park Christian 3, (3) La Center 2 (25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-11)
Crt 2 5th/6th Place – (5) Cashmere 3, (11) Bear Creek School 2 (25-15, 17-25, 19-25, 25-21, 15-9)
Crt 1 7th/8th Place – (8) Lynden Christian 3, (6) Meridian 0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-23)
Trophy Round Recap
They couldn’t knock off the tournament favorites.
But the No. 4 Cedar Park Christian Eagles were intent on finishing the tournament on a high note.
They did just that, rebounding from the 3-0 loss to No. 1 Chelan for a 3-1 victory over No. 3 La Center. That gave Cedar Park the third-place trophy, matching the school’s best showing. The Eagles, fifth a year ago, also placed third in 2010.
La Center, which came up short in the other semifinal against No. 2 Cascade Christian, finished fourth. The Wildcats were third in 2024.
Both teams battled, trading sets back and forth through four. With Cedar Park threatening to end it in three, La Center built a 23-18 lead and ultimately won 25-21.
It was tight most of the way in the fifth until Aubrey Fredrickson took matters into her hands – or more specifically her arm. The Eagles led just 11-10 when she began to take over and it was her final big kill that ended it, 15-11, giving her the MVP award.
No. 5 Cashmere made the most of its second state appearance. The Bulldogs, who previously qualified in 1997, lived up to their seeding and claimed the fifth-place trophy. They came from behind to edge No. 11 Bear Creek in five sets – 25-15, 17-25, 19-25, 25-21, 15-9.
Bear Creek took sixth.
Cashmere used an early 6-0 run to take control in the opening set. The Grizzlies did that one better in the second set, riding a 7-0 spurt to victory. They seemingly had control after breaking a 10-all tie and pulling away in the third.
But Cashmere’s Macie Smart was simply too much in the final two sets and dazzled as MVP. She is one of seven sophomores on a roster that includes zero seniors and just two juniors.
So, maybe get used to seeing the Bulldogs here.
Bear Creek, which moved up from last year’s eighth-place finish, is young as well with only one senior.
The youth movement also showed out in the match for seventh and eighth with few seniors between No. 8 Lynden Christian and No. 6 Meridian.
In fact, it was freshman MVP Tyra Dykstra who led the Lyncs to the 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-16, 25-23). Junior Eliana Meyer served up an ace to finish the match.
L-C didn’t qualify for last year’s tournament after finishing third in 2022. Meridian finished fourth a year ago.
Consolation (Loser Out)
Ct 3 (6) Meridian 3, (15) Seton Catholic 0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-20)
Ct 2 (8) Lynden Christian 3, (12) Lakeside 0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-14)
Ct 4 (11) Bear Creek 3, (7) King’s 1 (19-25, 25-16, 25-20, 29-27)
Ct 5 (5) Cashmere 3, (9) Stevenson 0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-19
Consolation Round Recap
Cashmere has taken its time crashing the trophy party.
The fifth-seeded Bulldogs are making the most of their second tournament appearance and first since 1997. Their 3-0 victory over No. 9 Stevenson assured them of some hardware and they play The Bear Creek School for fifth and sixth places at 4:15.
Cashmere gained confidence from a 25-22 first set and became more efficient as the match went on, sweeping the final two by identical 25-18 marks.
Sophomore Macie Smart led the way to earn MVP accolades.
No. 11 Bear Creek and No. 7 King’s engaged in what felt like an endless battle with both teams seemingly intent on getting one more match. Maybe some of that was familiarity as it was their fourth meeting of the year and a third win for Bear Creek – this one 3-1 (19-25, 25-16, 25-20, 29-27).
The Grizzlies, who placed eighth last year, were paced by MVP Lindsey Kim.
Meridian advanced to the seventh-place match by ending Seton Catholic’s Cinderella ride. The Cougars came in as the 15th seed and survived a loser-out match Friday.
But No. 6 Meridian flexed its muscle to return to the trophy round (25-23, 25-21, 25-20). The Trojans placed fourth last year after a semifinal loss to Chelan and were third in 2021. They wore the 2A crown in 2004.
Eden Bernady, a sophomore OH, nabbed the MVP.
Meridian will finish the season against No. 8 Lynden Christian, which eliminated No. 12 Lakeside in three sets (25-19, 25-11, 25-14).
The Lyncs knocked out No. 12 Lakeside, 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-14) to assure themselves of another trophy behind the smooth setting of MVP Ella Fritts. They placed third in each of the past two seasons.
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1A State Tournament
Friday, November 15 Day 1
Opening Round (Winners to Quarterfinals, Losers to Consolation)
Crt 4 (11) Bear Creek School 3, (6) Meridian 2 (25-18, 17-25, 15-25, 25-15, 15-9)
Crt 5 (3) La Center 3, (14) Zillah 0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-9)
Crt 1 (7) King’s 3, (10) Bellevue Christian 0 (25-10, 25-21, 25-16)
Crt 2 (2) Cascade Christian 3, (15) Seton Catholic 0 (25-23, 25-13, 24-11)
Crt 4 (5) Cashmere 3, (12) Lakeside 0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-21)
Crt 5 (4) Cedar Park Christian 3, (13) Omak 0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-22)
Crt 1 (9) Stevenson 3, (8) Lynden Christian 0 (26-24, 27-25, 25-23)
Crt 2 (1) Chelan 3, (16) Kalama 1 (25-17, 25-11, 25-16)
Opening Round Recap
First match, first upset.
The Bear Creek School, seeded No. 11, couldn’t be tamed against No. 6 Meridian, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 3-2 victory.
After winning the first set, then dropping the next two, the Grizzlies got going again and swept the final two decisively (25-15, 15-9) with junior MH Megan Urban taking charge to earn MVP status.
Bear Creek enjoyed a strong run in 2B from 2009-2012, earning five straight trophies (placing third in 2012) and took eighth in 1A last season.
Next up at 8 p.m. is a quarterfinal showdown with No. 3 La Center, which rolled past No. 14 Zillah, 3-0.
It’s been an MVP kind of season for La Center senior Billie Ross, a 6-foot senior who is a wall at the net. She was the Trico League MVP and co-defensive player of the year. Friday, Ross dominated to lead the Wildcats past No. 14 Zillah, earning accolades as match MVP. After dropping the first set 25-13, Zillah took an early lead in the second, but couldn’t sustain it, falling 25-17. Then it was all La Center, 25-9.
Top-seeded Chelan, the four-time defending champs, cruised into the quarterfinals with a 3-0 triumph over No. 16 Kalama (25-17, 25-11, 25-16). MVP Brynn Hughbanks, a 5-9 junior who already has committed to play beach volleyball at Florida State, crushed 15 kills and added a pair of aces.
The Mountain Goats served well throughout and play No. 9 Stevenson in an 8 p.m. quarterfinal.
Stevenson, apparently back at state for the first time since 2008, also needed just three sets to advance – but all were much closer as No. 8 Lynden Christian wouldn’t go quietly.
The Bulldogs got clutch play from MVP Olivia Faith to pull out the thriller (26-24, 27-25, 25-23). Samia Rudd was instrumental as well.
No. 2 Cascade Christian blanked No. 15 Seton Catholic, 3-0, in a battle of Cougars.
Layne Dent, a 6-2 OH who has signed with Saint Mary’s, left her mark in the match to get the MVP nod. Seton Catholic held its own in the opening set, falling just 25-23, but couldn’t keep up from there.
In the quarterfinals, the Cougars meet No. 7 King’s at 8 p.m. The Knights dispatched No. 10 Bellevue Christian in three (25-10, 25-21, 26-16). They took control late in the second set, closing with a 6-0 run.
At just 5-2, Regan Cook plays big and took the MVP tag after supplying five kills and three aces. She has signed with UC-Davis to play beach volleyball. Anika Bockheim, a 5-11 senior, punched a team-high seven kills.
No. 4 Cedar Park Christian joined the parade to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 victory over No. 13 Omak (25-23, 25-16, 25-22). The first and last sets could have gone either way. Senior setter Hannah Nance was the MVP choice.
The Eagles will face No. 5 Cashmere at 8. The Bulldogs bounced No. 12 Lakeside into the consolation bracket, 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-21). MVP Macie Smart, just a sophomore, drew notice for her hitting and serving skills.
Consolation Round (Loser Out)
Crt 3 (6) Meridian 3, (14) Zillah 1 (25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)
Crt 2 (15) Seton Catholic 3, (10) Bellevue Christian 0 (25-23, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19)
Crt 4 (12) Lakeside 3, (13) Omak 2 (16-25, 25-18, 25-12, 23-25, 17-15)
Crt 5 (8) Lynden Christian 3, (16) Kalama 0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-18)
Consolation Round Recap
Seton Catholic might be the feel-good team of the tournament.
The Cougars came in as the No. 15 seed and were swept by No. 2 Cascade Christian in the opening round.
But they kept their trophy aspirations alive with a 3-1 victory over No. 10 Bellevue Christian Friday night (25-23, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19). MVP Aly Ordona sparked the upset.
Seton Catholic is back at state for the first time since 2011 (according to WIAA records). The Cougars place third in the 1B tourney that season in only their second appearance.
They will need another upset to reach the trophy round and could finish as high as seventh. They play No. 6 Meridian at 12:45 p.m.
Meridian eliminated No. 14 Zillah, stepping on the gas in the fourth set to seal the victory (25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15). Freshman Melanie Short came up big to earn MVP status.
No. 8 Lynden Christian sent No. 16 Kalama home in three sets (25-17, 25-20, 25-18). The Chinooks made some runs, especially in that middle set, but L-C used a steady service game to advance to the Saturday round.
The Lyncs take on No. 12 Lakeside at 12:45 p.m. in another loser-out match. Lakeside survived a five-set nail-biter against No. 13 Omak in a match where clearly neither team wanted their season to end. Senior MVP Lacy Crabtree made sure the Eagles get at least one more match. It was back-and-fourth with Omak winning the first and fourth sets (25-23 in the fourth). Lakeside finally prevailed 17-15.
Quarterfinals (Winners to Semifinals, Losers to Consolation)
Crt 1 (3) La Center 3, (11) Bear Creek School 0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-13)
Crt 2 (2) Cascade Christian 3, (7) King’s 0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-15)
Crt 4 (4) Cedar Park Christian 3, (5) Cashmere 0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-22)
Crt 5 (1) Chelan 3, (9) Stevenson 0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-13)
Quarterfinal Round Recap
Can anyone stop top-seeded Chelan?
No. 9 Stevenson couldn’t. But the Bulldogs didn’t make it easy.
Sure, the Mountain Goats won in three, but it was a respectable 25-21 in the final set. Chelan coasted in the first two – 25-14, 25-17. Esther Petersen, a 5-10 sophomore MB, powered the victory and was selected MVP.
The next test comes from No. 4 Cedar Park Christian Saturday in the 10:45 a.m. semifinals.
Cedar Park pummeled No. 5 Cashmere in straight sets (25-14, 25-11, 25-15) thanks largely to MVP Aubrey Frederickson, a 6-1 senior. The Eagels lost in last year’s quarterfinals to Freeman, then bounced back to place fifth. This win assures them of a top-four trophy.
In the other half of the bracket, No. 3 La Center proved too much for No. 11 Bear Creek, which was riding high after a first-round upset of No. 6 Meridian.
The taller Wildcats were a wall at the net in the decisive 3-0 victory (25-13, 25-20, 25-13). MVP Billie Ross did a little bit of everything, putting together six kills, four blocks and two aces. Esther Langeliers added 10 kills. Both are 6-footers.
La Center, third a year ago, goes toe-to-toe with No. 2 Cascade Christian in the other semifinal, also at 10:45 a.m.
Cascade Christian dropped No. 7 King’s into the consolation bracket with a 3-0 win and looked impressive in the process, holding the Knights to 15 or fewer points in each set. MVP Layne Dent led the way.
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