Front page | News archive | Sports | Internet guide | E-mail the Herald
Posted Sept. 26, 2002
Kennewick volleyball eyes 1st district berth since '93
By the Herald staff
The Kennewick High volleyball team's 2-4 Big Nine record after Tuesday's four-game loss to undefeated Walla Walla isn't the best mark in the conference, but it is nonetheless something to get excited about for the Lions.
On Saturday, Kennewick stunned defending district champion Eisenhower to claim its second conference victory of the season, a figure which already surpasses the Lions' Big Nine win total (one) of a year ago.
In fact, Kennewick hasn't had more than two conference wins in a season since 1993, the last season the Lions advanced to the district playoffs. Since 1993, Kennewick has won a total of 12 conference matches, including this season.
So for Lions coach Mary Isley, two wins is a step in the right direction.
"We're really not carried by any individuals," Isley said. "We're a team. It doesn't matter if a girl is on the bench or on the court - she's going to give it her all.
"I'm looking over to the bench and the girls are telling the players on the court where to hit the ball, what's open. They are really selfless, willing to give. They're playing for the team, not themselves."
Perhaps the program's biggest win in recent years was Saturday's marathon over Ike in which the Lions rallied for a 15-11, 7-15, 14-16, 15-11, 15-13 win.
The Lions displayed the mental fortitude needed to close out a match, something that the team hadn't done in its three losses - the most crushing of which came Sept. 19, when Kennewick took the first two games against Pasco only to see the Bulldogs rally to win three straight games and the match.
"The (Ike) win helped us tremendously," Isley said. "Before that we were basically on the edge (of winning) every match. (Against Ike) we took that step over and finally did it.
"After the game the girls were amazingly energized. They know now they have a purpose to the season, that all their hard work has a reason."
That purpose, Isley said, is getting to the playoffs after a nine-year absence.
"We have 10 seniors," she said. "They want to make their senior year count."
* Might there be a running back controversy in Prosser following sophomore Steve Marley's 292-yard, three-touchdown performance in last Friday's 29-19 victory over Othello?
Coach Tom Moore promises no, that Marley will still split time with senior Jordan Hancock and junior Kellen Hartley throughout the season.
Hancock had a right ankle sprain that sidelined him for the Othello game. Moore said he could have played but with it being a nonleague game, he rested the injury to prepare for this week's Mid-Valley League opener.
"We're not going to let them get beat up," Moore said, "so they're going to be taking turns all year."
Hancock's injury opened the door for Marley, who had 15 carries for only 41 yards in a season-opening victory over Lynden.
"He's real good," Moore said. "But we knew he was good when he was in fourth grade."
* Big Nine cross country coaches may have hoped that the creation of a district meet that qualifies runners for the 4A Eastern Regional would spawn a similar race in Spokane.
The Greater Spokane League schools, though, have no intention of adding a regional qualifying meet to their schedule, said GSL athletic director Randy Ryan.
"I suspect that the GSL schools will not agree to this," Ryan said. "Because of the shorter cross country season, our coaches have not been in favor of reducing our regular-season events to try to squeeze in a district meet."
The GSL splits schools into two divisions for cross country, with the top four dual-meet teams in each division meeting the week before regionals for a league championship meet. The bottom three teams in each division also meet to decide ninth through 14th places. Teams do not race cross-division until the championship race.
"Our coaches do not want to use this meet as a district qualifying meet," Ryan said.
When regionals were added in 1995, both leagues dropped their district championships. The Big Nine determined its district champion by scoring the regional meet without the GSL teams.
However, the GSL's domination - especially on the boys side - at regionals pushed Big Nine runners out of the spotlight. That's another reason Big Nine coaches added the district meet this year: to highlight the district champions.
* The WIAA Executive Board last weekend approved the 2002 and 2003 state playoff allocations for fall sports, and there were a few surprises - mostly pleasant - for Mid-Columbia schools. Fall allocations
One was that the SCAC received five berths to the 1A state football playoffs, one more than was expected. How the conference will divvy up those berths will be decided at the next athletic directors' meeting.
Another is that the 11 east-side 3A schools will get a third playoff berth in most sports in 2003. Only girls cross country - hurt by the lack of full teams at several MVL schools - and swimming will stay at two next year.
A third also affects girls cross country, this time in the 2A CWAC, which
will get a third state berth next year.
| Tri-City Posse | Preps, college | Tri-City Americans | Opinion: Jim Riley |
Outdoors |
| Adult sports | Hydros | Area golf | Top 100 stories | Jeff Morrow |
This page and all contents are ©opyright 1999 by the
