STATE 5A VOLLEYBALL: Post Falls finishes an emotional third

By MARK NELKE

Sports editor

COEUR d’ALENE — Someday soon — perhaps even today — the Post Falls Trojans will look back on their third-place finish at the state 5A volleyball tournament on Saturday at Lake City High and smile.

But, with expectations of a state title coming into the season, and after being eliminated with a 25-17, 25-15, 25-22 loss to fourth-seeded Eagle, it was a time for tears in the auxiliary gym at Lake City for third-seeded Post Falls.

Even coach Willow Hanna, in her 13th season at Post Falls, and fourth in her second stint coaching at her alma mater, was emotional and needed a moment before reflecting.

“We have a senior who has played on varsity for four years,” Hanna said. “A senior that’s played for three years … three seniors that have played two years … I just think we spent a lot of time over the last four years, probably since I’ve been back, working on different parts of the game. And not just the skill and the strategy of the game. We’ve talked so much about competing, and talking about what kind of people we want to be … I think just working on being good teammates … so I think when you invest a lot of energy into each other, and you know with those five seniors, that time’s come to an end. And maybe they didn’t reach their goals this season. So I think it’s bittersweet; seven out of eight teams here finish with a loss, and we know that. You just don’t want it to be you. Again, it’s our job as coaches to help these kids reach their goals, and they didn’t. And we have to say goodbye. There’s multiple parts of emotions with it.”

Post Falls finished 32-8.

Saturday started strong for the Trojans, who won twice on Friday to advance to the winner’s bracket semifinal for the second straight year.

Post Falls took the first set from top-seeded and defending champion Madison of Rexburg, before the Bobcats took over at the net to win 27-29, 25-17, 25-13, 25-17.

After a brief break, Post Falls took the court again, falling to Eagle, which had beaten Owyhee of Meridian earlier in the day.

“We played our hearts out,” senior and four-year starter Kylie Munday said. “Definitely we could have limited our errors in the last couple sets, but ultimately, we had a great season, and I love all my teammates and coaches, and in the end we went through a lot of adversity. The end goal was definitely accomplished, I would say.”

Madison went on to win the tournament. The Bobcats were upended by Eagle in the first title match, forcing a best-of-3 if-necessary match. Madison won that one, 20-25, 27-25, 15-8, for its sixth title in program history.

Eagle was seeking its sixth state title, and first since 2009.

In the semifinal, Post Falls looked like the Trojan Roofing Company in the first set against Madison, controlling the net with block after block against the several talented Bobcat hitters.

But Madison soon adjusted.

Outside hitter Ashley Garner, the team’s lone senior, finished with 14 kills. Mia Walsh, a 6-foot outside/right side hitter, added 11 kills. Middle blocker Torey Parker, a sophomore, had eight kills, and Jonnie Folsom, a freshman outside/right side, added seven kills.

Junior Nora Waddoups, a left-handed setter who played libero last year, had 10 kills, many on tips to the deep corner, and 31 assists. Brookie Lamph, a junior middle blocker, had seven blocks.

“The biggest thing (in the first set), they were going and camping on Ashley on the outside,” said first-year Madison coach Whitney Howard, who played middle blocker at Rigby High and later at BYU. “They were just going with her. So as soon as our middles started running that slide, and they had to pay more respect to our other hitters, that’s when it opened things up for us.”

Back-to-back aces from Munday gave Post Falls the first set. Errors started to creep in for the Trojans in the next three sets, and Aspen Boice, a 5-10 sophomore libero, served an ace on match point for the Bobcats.

“They had us running,” Hanna said. “They had us moving around the court all the time with their serving and their hitting, and we were not in system most of the day.”

Junior Trinity Byrne had 10 kills for Post Falls. Senior Jenna Sarff had nine kills and two blocks, Munday 23 assists, three blocks and three aces, junior Maleah Wilhelm two blocks, junior libero Lexi Norisada 19 digs, junior Vanessa Kison 14 digs.

“Their pins (outside and right side hitters) are strong; they swing at the ball,” Howard said of Post Falls. “They have very strong arms. That’s very different from what we’ve seen for the most part.”

The University of San Diego-bound Munday, who normally splits her duties between setter and right side hitter, set a 5-1 for the second straight day, with the Trojans’ other setter in concussion protocol. That left the majority of the swinging to Sarff, Byrne and Kison on the outside and right side, and Wilhelm, senior Sam Anderson and junior Kaela Gump in the middle.

“We’ve had the ability to move back and forth between a 5-1 and a 6-2, and I think we thought we’d be OK the rest of the weekend just running a 5-1. But I think it was really a bit of a detriment not to be able to run that 6-2 and not have Kylie in our hitting position too.”

“I think it would have been really nice to have both options this tournament,” Munday said. “We kind of just made it work. We fought hard, and when I was able to attack, I did, but definitely wish I could have hit a little bit more.”

Against Eagle, Sarff had 11 kills and an ace, Kison eight kills for Post Falls. Munday totaled 25 assists, two blocks, nine digs and an ace. Anderson and Wilhelm each had two blocks, Norisada 12 digs, junior Danielle Codd nine digs and an ace.

“That was a great start to that Madison match,” Hanna said. “We had a really great day (Friday), so hopes are high, when you perform at your best. I really think we performed at our best (Friday) for sure, and even that first set against Madison was really good. Our blocking really came together that first set. We just made some pretty big mistakes the rest of the day.”

Saturday’s finish was the culmination of a run (fourth in 2021, third the next two years) which saw the Trojans bring home three trophies in a three-year run — something never done before by the program.

“I definitely wish we would have made history this year,” Munday said. “But, the other teams are good too, so props to them.”

Again, maybe soon.

“It’s really hard when you take a loss, and get third,” Hanna said. “It’s kind of hard to look at the positive side. Maybe in a couple hours. I think to come (to state) three years out of our league is pretty special. Lake City, Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston are tough teams, so to earn our way to state three times is pretty impressive. We’ll take a third-place finish … in a couple hours.”