1A/2A state volleyball: Trophy day for 4 area teams

Lynden’s hopes of back-to-back titles came to an end in a five-set, reverse-sweep defeat (25-16, 25-20, 22-25, 15-25, 12-25) to No. 4 Ridgefield in the 2A state semifinals Saturday afternoon.

The loss also snapped the Lions’ 45-game win streak that dated back to the district tournament on Nov. 7, 2024.

“In a loss, it’s tough, but I’m just so proud of how we never rolled over and just kept fighting against a really good Ridgefield team,” Lynden coach Chris Elsner said. “They just continued to find a way, and that’s all we ever asked of them.”

The Lions had to contend with something they don’t see often: a 6-foot-7 middle blocker. Spudders’ junior Piper Moog created a wall that was tough for Lynden’s hitters to attack through or around.

Still, the Lions were in control early and built what seemed like an insurmountable 2-0 set lead, and were gearing to go into cruise control. But Ridgefield locked in and kept clawing its way back, ultimately stealing the momentum late in the fifth set.

Now the top-seeded Lions will face a familiar foe in No. 6 Sehome, a team they have played and beaten four times already. But the Mariners have been on a heater, reverse-sweeping previously unbeaten and No. 3 Pullman in the quarterfinals Friday, before losing to No. 2 Ellensburg in the semifinals Saturday afternoon.

“We get to play another game together, and I know we’ll flip the switch and get ready to go win the bronze,” Elsner said.

Lynden and Sehome are set to face off at 4:15 p.m. Saturday.

Lynden Christian is back in the state championship match for the first time in 2021 after sweeping No. 6 Lakeside (25-18, 25-18, 25-18) in the semifinals Saturday morning.

“It feels a little unreal,” Lynden Christian coach Kim Grycel said. “But I’ve always thought this team had the potential to get there.”

Grycel, who previously coached the Lyncs for 25 years, returned this season after a five-year break. Now she’s led this team, many of whom she coached in middle school, back to the title game.

“One of the reasons I came back was to help them have an amazing last season,” Grycel said.

Against Lakeside, Jocelyn Eshuis led the attack with 19 kills to go with four blocks. Tyra Dykstra added seven kills and 14 digs, and Lyla Parriera tallied 15 digs.

Now they’ll get a chance for their first state title since 2018, when Grycel was head coach. The Lyncs face top-seeded Cashmere at 6:15 p.m.

“The pressure is on Cashmere,” Grycel said. “We beat them earlier in the year. We’re their only loss of the season.”

Meridian couldn’t keep the magic going in a straight-set loss (25-22, 25-17, 25-23) to top-ranked Cashmere in the 1A state semifinals Saturday morning.

The No. 5 Trojans will face No. 6 Lakeside in the third/fourth-place match at 2:30 p.m. Lakeside was swept by Lynden Christian in the other semifinal.

Meridian was feeling the loss of junior Madyn Cline-Malarz, who had a lower-body injury Friday and tried to play against Cashmere but was obviously limited.

“She’s really been a significant blocker for us as of late,” Meridian coach Angie Short said. “She just couldn’t quite go to speed.”

The Trojans started off hot and built a small lead in the first set, but Cashmere’s lightning-quick offense was something the Trojans weren’t used to.

“So that was a challenge for us to kind of stay competitive at the net,” Short said. “But I’m proud of our efforts. I thought our defense played really scrappy behind them as much as we could. I thought my girls did a pretty good job.”

Melanie Short led the offense with 21 kills to go with 15 digs. Eden Bernardy added 11 kills and 10 digs. Kendall Stacy directed the offense with 19 assists, and Anna Nichols contributed 13 assists.