Curtis volleyball outlasts Emerald Ridge in all-4A SPSL South state championship
Curtis High School volleyball coach Michael Miller was no doubt pleased with the Vikings’ 3-1 win over Emerald Ridge to win the state 4A championship Saturday night at the Toyota Center, but the fact two SPSL teams were in the title game made winning the title a little more satisfying.
“This just shows how strong our league is,” Miller said. “When I saw that Emerald Ridge was in the top half of the bracket and we were in the bottom half, I told Bobby (Emerald Ridge coach Bobby McGivern) ‘Why not you and me in the finals.’ ”
This after Emerald Ridge beat Curtis in the 4A state semifinals last year before losing to Bellarmine Prep in the title match.
Curtis won all four matches it played against Emerald Ridge this season — including in the 4A SPSL tournament title match. It went 0-5 against Emerald Ridge last season.
Curtis used a daunting combination of heavy hitters to take a two-set lead in the state championship match. Elly McEachern dominated the net in the first set as the Vikings scored the last five points to win, 25-20.
In the second set, a 25-19 Curtis victory, Katie Yorke, Ryan Dubinsky and Camryn Buell took over. McEachern accounted for eight Curtis points in the first set, and the Yorke-Dubinsky-Buell combo accounted for 12 points in the second set.
“I thought we struggled a little bit at the start of the first set,” Miller said. “And I told No. 8 (Dubinsky) to get set up on the outside.”
Emerald Ridge took the third set, 25-17, behind powerful play at the net from McKenna Smith, Ashley Wesenberg and Kava Durr.
“It was a nice final match between two nice SPSL teams,” McGivern said. “Our district is like a mini state tournament, so we were prepared for this.”
Curtis secured the title with a 25-20 win in the fourth set.
Emerald Ridge advanced to the title game with a convincing 3-0 demolition of previously undefeated and No. 1 ranked West Valley of Yakima.
“That was the No. 1 team in the state, 36th in the nation,” McGivern said. “But our girls played hard and they believed.”
Curtis reached the title game with a tough 28-26, 21-25, 25-23, 15-13 victory over Battle Ground.
“That was pretty intense,” Miller said. “There are a lot of great teams here. Matchups have a lot to do with who wins.”
Auburn Riverside coach Chris Leverenz was more thrilled with her team’s 3-1 win over Shorewood to claim third place in the 3A tournament than she was disappointed in the Ravens’ inability to defend the title they won a year ago.
“We’re in the top four of the state and we weren’t even sure we’d get out of the district tournament,” she said. “So third is awesome.”
Leverenz did admit to some uncertainty over how her veteran players might react to the Ravens’ semifinal loss to Kennedy Catholic on Friday night.
“I was a little concerned,” she said. “I’ve done this before and know what it’s like (to lose in the tournament). But how do you reload kids who only know what it’s like to win a state championship?”
Bellarmine’s three-year run as state 4A champions came to an end with a sixth-place finish. The Lions eliminated Puyallup Saturday morning, then lost to Mead, 3-2, in a match that included a marathon 33-31 second set won by the Panthers.
“I think there is always a little disappointment when you think you could be in that final match,” Bellarmine coach Caroline Meines said. “But we’re pleased to have won a couple of good matches at state, and we have a lot of respect for the two teams we lost to.”
Most teams would be thrilled with this result, but Meines suggested that ruling the 4A volleyball world in Washington for the last three years is something of a mixed blessing.
“We’re lucky to have kids who are familiar with the tournament,” she said. “But then again, there’s an expectation there you don’t need.”
Auburn Mountainview defeated Bishop Blanchet, 3-0, to place seventh in the 3A tournament. The Lions beat Kamiakin, Ferndale, and Bishop Blanchet after losing to Shorewood in its opening match.
“The girls wanted to finish the season on a high note,” Auburn Mountainview coach Telia Peterson said. “When you go into the reverse side of the bracket, it either turns into a pity party or you keep moving forward. We weren’t about to have a pity party.”
Tahoma placed eighth after losing a tough 3-1 decision to Central Valley, dropping the final set, 26-28. Tahoma lost to Mead in its opening game, then beat Eastlake and eliminated Graham-Kapowsin before losing to the Bears from Spokane.
This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 11:09 PM with the headline "Curtis volleyball outlasts Emerald Ridge in all-4A SPSL South state championship."