KENNEWICK – The heartbreak for the Curtis Vikings set in immediately.
A five-game loss to the top-ranked Mead Panthers in the Class 4A volleyball state championship match Friday night almost didn’t happen. Curtis – with a 2-0 lead and five points away from a upset sweep – had its first state title within reach before letting the lead and the match get away thanks to Mead’s mighty comeback.
The Panthers, from Spokane, won their sixth state title in seven seasons and denied Curtis its first state title with a thrilling 23-25, 25-27, 26-24, 25-23, 15-12 victory at the Toyota Center.
Mead and Curtis each advanced to Friday’s championship match with 3-0 wins in the semifinals. Mead took care of Graham-Kapowsin, 25-15, 25-14, 25-20, and Curtis swept Auburn Riverside, 25-16, 28-26, 25-20.
Curtis was well on its way of the upset of the veteran-savvy Panthers for the title after surprising many by winning the first two games.
In the third game, the Vikings’ largest lead was 20-12 after a kill by Emily Cotter. That’s when Mead started its comeback with its never-give-up attitude.
“I told the kids after the second (game) loss, ‘We’re winning in five,’ ” Mead coach Judy Kight said. “We clawed back and clawed back. I’m just so exceptionally proud that they did that.”
Six-foot-5 middle hitter Alexis Olgard had four blocks in a row on two different Curtis hitters. What was once an eight-point lead was down to only one, 22-21. After an Olgard kill, Mead took its first lead of the match. The back-and-forth battle continued with four ties before Mead pulled out the third game, 26-24 to stay alive.
Olgard saved her best match of the tournament for the final one of her high school career, amassing 33 kills and 10 blocks. Curtis was led Cotter, who had 26 kills and 20 digs. Cotter also had 20 kills in the Vikings’ semifinal victory over Auburn Riverside.
“We made history for Curtis,” Cotter said. “That’s something to be proud of.”
The championship match remained tight throughout. Neither team led by more than a couple of points in the final two games.
Curtis’ last lead in the fourth game was at 19-18, and an ace by Mead’s Chelsey Pangdorn gave the Panthers a two-point cushion down the stretch.
The fifth and deciding game featured seven ties before Mead took the lead for good at 9-8. Curtis got within one at 13-12, but Mead reeled off three straight to win the match.
Curtis coach Jeff Grosshans praised his players’ effort and their accomplishment of doing what no Vikings team had done: earn the second-place trophy.
This was Curtis’ third straight state appearance and third straight trophy. In 2007, the team placed seventh, followed by a fifth-place showing last year.
Up until the state title match, Mead went through the previous three matches without dropping a game. Olympia ended Mead’s five-year run as state champions last year with a 3-2 upset in the semifinals.
Auburn Riverside earned its second trophy in the past three seasons with a four-game win over Graham-Kapowsin in the third/sixth-place match. The sixth-place trophy is the first for the Eagles.
Olympia bounced back after its 3-1 loser-out match against Skyview late Thursday to earn the seventh-place state trophy Friday night despite a 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-21 loss to Lewis and Clark.
The Bears were guaranteed a trophy with the victory over Skyview.
After winning the first game against the defending state champions, Olympia dropped the next three but put up a good fight in the process. Olympia finished sixth last season.
“Each of those last three games, they got some runs,” Olympia coach Laurie Creighton said. “And they responded well to those runs.
“I love the way the kids battled back.”
In 3A, Auburn Mountainview, Lakes and Peninsula all dropped first-round matches and moved into the consolation bracket.
Lexi Morton (eight kills) and Mellisa Arias (20 assists) highlighted Auburn Mountainview’s 23-25, 18-25, 14-25 loss to Bishop Blanchet. ... Gabby Bird-Vogel had 23 kills and eight digs in Peninsula’s 4-25, 25-23, 6-25, 11-25 loss to Seattle Prep. Deedra Foss had 18 kills and 19 assists in Lakes’ 14-25, 25-19, 22-25, 23-25 loss to Mount Si.
Fife outlasted Mark Morris in five sets (25-16, 22-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11) on the 2A courts to play in today’s 2 p.m. semifinals against Archbishop Murphy, a team Fife defeated in last year’s consolation round.
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