Lakeside looking for first state win

After never having gone to state prior to 2008, Lakeside is back in the state 1A Division I volleyball tournament for the third time in four seasons.

The Knights are still looking for their first victory at state, having gone two and out in '08 and last year.

Lakeside (13-7) opens this year's state tournament vs. defending champion Challis (19-0) today at 1 p.m. at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston. Lakeside lost to Challis in last year's opener.

Fourth-year Lakeside coach Jan Mitchell said the key for this year's team was finally playing as a unit.

"We took a lot of the season to get to this level," she said.

Mitchell made a couple of position changes, moving Ruth Haynes, a 6-foot junior, to the outside from middle blocker on two rotations, switching 5-7 senior outside hitter Maria Garcia to the middle on three rotations, and moving Avery Brown-Sonder, a 5-5 sophomore outside hitter, to the right side on one rotation.

4A: Sandpoint (15-11), which has won 14 state titles, opens vs. seven-time champion Bonneville (27-9) of Idaho Falls today at 1 p.m. at Post Falls High.

Century of Pocatello is the defending champion.

2A: Defending champion West Jefferson failed to qualify for this year’s tournament, which begins today at Lakeland High in Rathdrum. Cole Valley Christian, last year’s runner-up, is in the field.

1A Division II: Clark Fork (20-4), which beat the larger Division I schools in winning the North Star League, hopes to bring home a trophy. Camas County is defending champion.

Notes: For the second straight year, the state volleyball tournament is single-elimination with a consolation bracket. Teams need three wins to capture the title. Teams that lose in the first round can finish no higher than fourth, a change from the old double-elimination format where teams could lose along the way and still play their way back into the championship round. ... Saturday’s semifinals in all six divisions are scheduled for 9 and 11 a.m. Championship matches in all six divisions are scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m.