The Kentwood High volleyball team split its matches at the West Central District 4A volleyball tournament last Friday and Saturday, but still managed to punch its ticket to a seventh straight Class 4A state berth.
Kentwood (13-6) started the tournament with a dominating performance in a three-game sweep over Emerald Ridge, 25-15, 25-12, 25-15.
The big start quickly faded in the second match of the day, when the Conquerors were swept by eventual district champion Olympia.
At noon on Saturday the Conquerors had their last shot to earn a state berth and did just that with another three-game victory, this time putting away longtime rival Auburn Riverside, 25-23, 25-22, 25-21.
Junior setter Kacie Seims attributed her team’s success at the district tournament to aggressive play.
“We really kept our heads up,” Seims said. “Everyone came to play. Everyone showed up and it was really fun.”
Seims isn’t sure how things will play out for the Conquerors at the state tournament, which begins on Thursday, Nov. 11 at the Toyota Center in Kennewick when Kentwood takes on perennial power Mead in a 10:30 a.m. showdown. Seims does know, however, that Kentwood will work on “staying strong, even if we’re down a few points.”
“It’s hard to say because no one knows what’s going to happen there,” she said. “It really is exciting for us because even in the midst of a ton of doubt we pulled through and made our goal.”
Kentwood earned the No. 8 seed out of the district tournament. The Conquerors are the lone South Puget Sound League North Division representative at state. Kent-Meridian, which opened with a huge win over North Division champion Tahoma, bowed out in three matches after consecutive losses to Stadium and Curtis. Kentridge was eliminated in two matches, falling to Graham-Kapowsin and Auburn Riverside.
Advancing to state is no small deal, Kentwood coach Bil Caillier said.
“The older girls, well, they don’t know what it’s like not to go to state,” Caillier said. “For that they are grateful because this opportunity is not automatic. Feeling the gratification of making it to the state tournament is a bonus and we are lucky to enjoy it.”
Caillier is proud of how well the team played at the district tournament.
“The girls played hard for all four matches,” he said. “At this point in the season we hope the things we’ve worked on in the past few months — or even the past few years for the seniors — is enough to help us compete against the best teams in our state. We want to compete at our fullest potential, to make our Kentwood family proud of our performance.”
Kentwood takes on Mead from Spokane in the first round at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday after the Reporter’s press deadline.
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