For a second consecutive season, the Kennewick volleyball team is going to the Class 3A state tournament.
The Lions bounced back from a semifinal loss Saturday to defeat Kamiakin 25-20, 26-24, 25-15 to earn the third seed from the Class 3A Eastern Washington Regional Tournament.
"It is really exciting," Kennewick coach Julie Maciboba said. "Now I can experience state as a coach -- I never did as a player."
The Lions dominated the Braves after beating them twice in the regular season in four sets.
The win was especially impressive after Kennewick opened the day with a disappointing 26-24, 25-19, 25-20 loss to Mount Spokane.
"We worked a lot this week on how we are reacting quick on plays," Maciboba said, "so that if we make an error, we are not hanging our heads. So, I think we used after the loss. We went into the locker room and told them we had to move on. We had a big match ahead of us. Kamiakin had been playing very well and we knew it was going to be a tough game."
Meghan McIntyre had 18 kills and 18 digs to lead the Lions. Maddie Zinsli added 50 assists and nine digs and Carlee Rhodes had 17 kills on the day.
For Kamiakin it was an up-and-down day, kind of like its 2011 season.
The Braves started the day by handing West Valley just its third set loss of the season, but couldn't quite sustain the push against the top-ranked Rams.
"We had West Valley on their heels," Kamiakin coach Mary Opitz said. "They were pretty shocked at what was going on. We battled in the second one, but West Valley is a real steady team."
West Valley went on to sweep Mount Spokane and claim the regional title. Both teams qualified for state.
Laura Phillips led Kamiakin with 45 assists, 13 digs and was 26-of-27 serving. Alexis Scott added 19 kills, 38 digs and was 25-of-27 serving with two aces.
"My girls are proud of how they did," Optiz said. "And they should be."
Combined statistics
Kamiakin--Laura Phillips 45 assts, 13 digs, 26x27 srv, 1 ace; Alexis Scott 25x27 srv, 2 aces, 19 kills, 38 digs; Libby Davison 18x18 srv, 12 kills, 21 digs; Amanda Miller 12 kills; Kayla Emineth 14x15 srv, 36 dig; Abby Blanchard 8 kills.
Kennewick--Megan McIntyre 18 kills, 18 digs, 2 aces; Torie Szendre 9 kills, 5 blks; Carlee Rhodes 17 kills; Sophie Clinton 9 kills, 3 blks; Maddie Zinsli 50 assts, 9 digs; Lizzy Ridley 15 digs, 4 aces; Brittany Evans 18 digs, 2 aces; Kelly Dyer 13 digs.
