STATE 5A VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT: Vikings still in it

POST FALLS — Taking the scenic route to a possible championship match in the state 5A volleyball tournament, Coeur d’Alene easily swept Vallivue of Caldwell on Friday night in The Arena at Post Falls High.

In what appeared to be a form of reward for toughing out a close four-gamer by beating Eagle in their first match of the losers bracket, the Vikings clipped the Falcons (15-7), winning 25-19, 25-13, 26-24, to finish 2-1 on the tourney’s first day.

Coeur d’Alene dropped its opener Friday morning to Bonneville of Idaho Falls 26-24, 26-24, 25-20, then eliminated Eagle 20-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-22 before sending Vallivue home.

So the next “reward” for the state runner-up from last season? At 9 a.m. today, the Vikings (26-6) will take on Centennial of Boise, an excitable bunch which swept District 3 champion Timberline 25-19, 25-23, 26-24, during the same time Cd’A played. The winner of that morning matchup will play at 1 p.m. against the loser between defending state champion Idaho Falls and Bonneville of Idaho Falls.

The championship match will be at 3 p.m. today. The Vikings will need to win four matches today to take the title in the double-elimination tournament.

“All the remaining teams here are really strong,” Pottenger said. “We need to compete. We’re a different team than last year, for sure. But having played in the state tournament definitely with that experience is helpful and I can see that in the girls. I’m sure playing (near) home helps, but the bigger difference is my girls have been to state.”

The Vikings took home the 5A Region I title going into state despite the loss of setter-outside hitter Megan Ramseyer early in the season to a torn ACL.

“I think today was like our season,” Vikings coach Dee Pottenger said. “It didn’t start the way we have expected and we expected them to get over it and I’m proud of the way they’ve responded.”

The only competitive game was the third, in which Vallivue, which in the first two games appeared to be unorganized at times, found its footing and saw returning first-team all-state tournament selection Kayla Sale put away some of her five kills.

“Just to get comfortable, to get relaxed and yet stay competitive and compete,” Pottenger said. “I’m really pleased with our blocking, I’d like to keep at it (today).”

Missy Huddleston put away eight kills and four blocks, Isabella Hollibaugh had 18 assists and nine digs. Libero Maura Donovan had nine digs.

Coeur d’Alene d. Eagle: One word naturally came to mind in the final two games of the Vikings’ first win of the state tournament.

Guts.

Six-foot freshman middle blocker Kelly Horning came up with a block for the go-ahead point late in the fourth game of a losers bracket match, helping Coeur d’Alene come back from an 18-12 deficit to beat the Mustangs.

Youth was served, as sophomore backup libero Sam Swayze served an ace to set up match point against Eagle (16-4).

“We’re still asking our players who are playing new positions to fill that,” Pottenger said. “Isabella, this is her first state tournament running the team as a setter. I think in that game, she got more comfortable and was able to run our offense. And she (Kelly) is another one with no state experience and as a freshman, she continues to get better every day. She plays and she probably picked up her play a couple of notches in this match, she had seven kills. I’m just impressed with the level of play in the tournament. So I think the rest of these matches are going to go four or five games, as they should, and they need to stop teams from going on runs.”

Huddleston was all over the floor, as usual, finishing with a double-double with 13 kills, 12 digs and three blocks. Bybee put away 13 kills and five blocks. Hollibaugh had 19 assists and 12 digs.

Cd’A was pounded relentlessly by Gretchen Litzsinger (10 kills) and Kelly Driscoll (seven kills) early in the third game, to the tune of a 20-13 lead and the Vikings were in danger of trailing 2-1. But later on in crunch time, Horning delivered a hammer of a kill that went straight down to the floor, blocked a hitter for a 24-23 Viking lead, then Horning put together another heavy hit for a kill to make it a 26-25 lead. Williams gave Cd’A the 2-1 lead with a kill that slapped off the top of the net.

“They shifted Missy over to the outside,” Eagle coach Michelle Dodds said. “They’re a great blocking team. We haven’t gone up against a good blocking team.”

Bonneville d. Coeur d’Alene: In the opening match of the tournament, Coeur d’Alene did not necessarily get beaten down by the Bees as much as it shot itself in the foot a few too many times.

Bonneville rode the twosome of Idaho State commit Haylie Keck, a 5-foot-11 senior who smacked violent hits from the left side and had 12 kills, and Michaela Walton, who came up with six kills.

Keck had five kills in the first game, including one that gave the Bees a 25-24 lead after Coeur d’Alene delivered a poor set, which plagued the Vikings throughout the match. Keck came through again with a block on set point.

The turning point came with Coeur d’Alene leading 24-20 after a kill by Sydney Bybee and the Vikings looking to tie the match at 1. But the Vikings could not score again, and Bonneville finished the game on an 11-4 run.