Kendrick fights back, emerges as volleyball champion

LEWISTON — Kendrick and Deary rallied for 33 seconds for what proved to be match point in the fourth set of Thursday’s Idaho Class 1A Division II district volleyball contest at the Lewis-Clark State College’s P1FCU Activity Center.

When the ball sailed out of bounds to give the Tigers the 25-21, 16-25, 25-23, 27-25 win against the Mustangs, Kendrick finally could breathe a sigh of relief.

“It’s been a long week,” Kendrick coach Molly Olson said. “We took the long route to get to this point, but we’ve been practicing hard and we had to battle.”

The Tigers (16-4) had to go through the backdoor in order to reach the championship after losing in five sets Saturday to St. John Bosco during the first round.

“That was our first league loss of the year,” Olson said, although the defeat doesn’t count in their league record. “That really added fuel to the fire and prepared us for this match because (St. John Bosco) fights for every point and (Deary) does the same.”

By getting to the final, two teams already punched their ticket to the state tournament, which begins Oct. 28 at Madison High School in Rexburg, Idaho.

Here are some takeaways:

Dominance in the second set

The Mustangs (12-6) dominated the second set from start to finish.

They scored the set’s first six points, with their biggest lead being 20-7. Seniors Triniti Wood and Dantae Workman for 10 kills during the set.

“(Wood) played fantastic, she always does,” Deary coach Brooke Swanson said. “I know if the ball is going to her I feel comfortable letting her do whatever with it. She’s always consistent and always has positive energy.”

Workman finished the match with 12 kills. Wood added six.

Comeback queens

While the second set was a dominant showing for Deary, the Tigers never surrendered.

Kendrick outscored the Mustangs 9-7 at the end of that set, showing resilency that would pay off later on in the fourth set.

Deary jumped out to a 6-1 lead early, and held a 14-9 advantage. But the Tigers wouldn’t go away, cutting the Mustangs’ edge to 17-15.

On the next point, the ball hit off of Morgan Silflow, causing the ball to go back to Hailey Taylor. The ball then ricocheted off Silflow again, this time causing it to go over the net. Deary was unable to get it back over the net, scoring a point for the Tigers to put them within one. 17-16.

Kendrick scored again on their serve to tie it, then the Tigers took their first lead at 18-17 after a combo block from Hayden Kimberling and Taylor.

“We have this weird thing with Kendrick,” Swanson said. “It’s always a battle when we play them. They’re a good team and don’t let a lot of balls touch the ground.”

Team effort

Other than Woods and Workman’s masterclass in the second, no individual really stood out above the rest.

The two teams distributed the ball well to the setters, who gave the outside hitters opportunities to get kills.

“We struggled a bit passing tonight,” Olson said. “But from there, our setter, (Ruby) Stewart was able to find our hitters whether it was in the front row or the back row. She made some momentum-moving plays.”

Rose Stewart and Silflow had nine and eight kills, respectively. Rose Stewart added six blocks and an ace.

“(Rose Stewart) has gone through a lot of adversity this year,” Olson said. “Getting her more comfortable in her role has been important this year. We’ve thrown a lot at her and she just becomes more comfortable as we roll on.”

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.