Volleyball has mixed showing at state

The Islanders did their best last weekend at the state girls’ 3A volleyball tournament at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. However, their dreams of a trophy fell short in heartbreaking fashion.

The Islanders did their best last weekend at the state girls’ 3A volleyball tournament at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. However, their dreams of a trophy fell short in heartbreaking fashion.

The Kingco 3A’s regular season champions opened play last Friday against the Enumclaw Hornets. The Islanders took control early, and despite the Hornets’ best efforts, the Islanders scored a three-game sweep, 25-13, 25-17 and 25-23.

“We played really well [and] played our game. They’re confident and we stayed in system, and if we do that, we can beat people. Our serving kept them off balance for most of [the game], which helped a lot,” said Mercer Island head coach Dino Annest.

The Islanders’ key offensive threats, Abby Trimble and Janelle Chow, led the way in the first game, which ended on a Trimble service ace. Game two was a little bit tighter, but MI continued to hold the advantage, led once again by Trimble and Chow, but aided by key supporting efforts of Shayda Sanii and Liz Miller. An Enumclaw hitting error gave the Islanders’ game point in this frame. The Hornets tried their best to force a fourth game, taking leads late in the frame at both 21-20 and 22-21.

However, Trimble came up with a big kill to set up the final stretch, which ended with an ace by Chow to clinch the match and send the Islanders into round two against another SPSL opponent, state title favorite Auburn Riverside.

Trimble said her big play was all about her saving the best for last as a senior.

“I don’t know, it’s my last time playing with these guys, so all the seniors just decided we might as well play as hard as we can because it’s our last year,” Trimble said.

The Islanders gave it their all against the Ravens, but it was an Auburn Riverside sophomore who took charge and helped lead her team to victory. Middle hitter Brooke Bray came up big at key points, whether it be digs or kills, as the Ravens used her efforts to post a three-game sweep of MI. Scores were 25-17, 25-21 and 25-23 as Auburn Riverside bumped the Islanders into the consolation bracket Saturday.

Bray said her team was ready for the challenge from Kingco’s best.

“We went into the game laid back ’cause we knew they were going to come out wanting it because of state rankings most likely. But we definitely all pulled together as a team and got the job done all together,” Bray said.

MI opened game one looking to take control of the stanza. The Islanders held a 7-3 lead at one point early before the Ravens rallied to make things tight. Bray and fellow offensive power Dominika Kristinikova led the charge, but several other Auburn Riverside players also contributed. The Ravens took the lead at 9-8 and did not look back. An ace by Candice Buchanan sealed up game one for the ladies from south King County. Trimble and Chow, along with Amanda Nield, all made big plays in game two for the Islanders, but Bray, Kristinikova and Kaleigh Krantz helped the Ravens take charge with key plays of their own. Krantz came up with several big kills in critical spots, and Auburn Riverside seized control. A Kristinikova kill locked up game two. Game three was all Bray for the Ravens, as she landed several big kills in the frame.

Nield, Trimble, Chow and Ally Bray did their best to keep the Islanders in it, as each made big plays to help the team’s effort in the stanza. MI held the lead late at 21-20, but errors down the stretch hurt the Islander chances. Brooke Bray put the icing on the cake for Auburn Riverside with one final kill to lock up the match. The Ravens’ young star praised Chow following the game.

“She’s amazing. One of our goals was to keep the ball away from her,” Bray said.

Last Saturday, the Islanders played the Kennedy Lancers in the fourth-place semifinals. The Lancers won the first two games, but then MI rallied, winning games three and four to force a deciding fifth game, which Kennedy won easily, giving them the match and ending the Islanders’ season in devastating fashion. Scores in favor of the Lancers were 25-19, 25-18, 20-25, 22-25, 15-7. The Islanders did not place at the tournament.