Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Local girls avenge loss to league rival Liberty
YAKIMA – The Northeast 2B girls volleyball teams competing at state all advanced to the state quarterfinals with wins Thursday morning, Nov. 10, in the Yakima Valley SunDome.
Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna/Harrington swept the previously undefeated Goldendale Timberwolves. Colfax swept Granger. And Liberty (Spangle) won, 3-1, over Brewster.
Initially, the Broncos fell behind the Timberwolves. But down 14-7, Coach Cari Galbreath called her girls into a huddle.
“ I just told them we have a shot at this; we’re a good team,” she said. “We were out of rhythm and able to get back in rhythm.”
And they did.
They tied the score at 22, then 24, before adding two points to win the first set, 26-24.
The Broncos’ momentum gave them the edge in Set 2, and they led start-to-finish, winning 25-21.
But they had a bit of a letdown starting off Set 3. Goldendale stayed a point or two ahead for about half the set.
Galbreath again huddled her team. “I told them they got this,” she said.
The Broncos regained their composure, tied the game at 16, and took a 25-21 win.
Then it was the Colfax’s turn.
The NE2B’s top seed, Colfax, made short work of the Granger, sweeping the Spartans 25-14, 25-12, 25-15.
As the Bulldogs were winding up an easy win, the girls from Spangle were just getting underway across the SunDome against the Brewster Bears.
The Liberty Lancers took the first two sets, 25-15 and 25-17, respectively. But the Bears weren’t going to be put down in 3.
In Set 3, the Bears stepped up their game at the net and targeted their serves for a 25-16 win.
It would be the only set an NE2B would lose in the opening round of state.
The loss fired up the Lancers and they returned for the fourth set determined to close out with a win.
The teams battled back-and-forth, each taking turns tying the match, then leading.
The Lancers and the Bears were tied at 24, until an intense volley and a well-placed serve gave the girls from Spangle the win.
Later the same day, the No. 11-seeded Broncos faced No. 3 La Conner at 3:15 p.m.
La Conner won that bout and went on to win the state title, topping Colfax in the championship.
On Friday morning, Nov. 11, facing elimination, the Bronco girls avenged a district loss to Liberty (Spangle), eliminating the Lancers 25-15, 25-17, 25-23.
“It’s so exciting to be able to redeem ourselves after losing to them in the district tournament,” Broncos Coach Cari Galbreath said. “But it’s also awesome to have two teams here from the same district battling on the last day of state.
The win ended the Lancers’ season.
“We pretty much took care of the ball,” Galbreath said.
“When we do that, I feel like we’re pretty much unstoppable.”
Roger Harnack is co-owner and publisher of Free Press Publishing. An award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher who grew up in Eastern Washington, he's one of only two Washington state journalists ever to receive the international Golden Quill for editorial/commentary writing. Roger is committed to preserving local media, and along with it, a local voice for Eastern Washington.
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