GARFIELD IS THE FEEL-GOOD STORY OF THE STATE TOURNAMENT
-Mike McLaughlin, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
November 13, 2003

When the top 4A high school volleyball teams gather this weekend for the state tournament at the new Everett Events Center, there's at least one certainty: Kentlake will not make it four championships in a row.

After graduating 10 seniors from last year's team, Kentlake missed qualifying for state by one match. Top-ranked Mead and No. 2 Spanaway Lake now take the role as favorites. Both bring perfect regular-season records into the tournament.

Junior-laden Spanaway Lake is 14-0 outside of tournament play, and 9-0 in the South Puget Sound South League. The Sentinels return to state hungry for success after being eliminated in three matches last year.

Just a few months ago, a trip to state didn't appear in the cards for the Sentinels after starting junior setter Sedra Zlock suffered two fractured vertebrae. Zlock was playing summer league volleyball when she dove for a ball and another girl rolled across her back.

"When most teams lose their starting setter, they're done," Spanaway coach Shirley Baker said.

Zlock was in a body cast for two months and was cleared three weeks ago to begin playing again. She's been practicing and trying to get back into condition, but Baker isn't sure how much Zlock will be able to contribute his weekend.

"It won't be easy sitting at state, but I don't plan on taking anyone's place at this point," Zlock said. "The team has come this far without me. They deserve the credit for what they've done this year."

The Sentinels adjusted and now set mostly from the back row, with SPSL South co-MVP Jalen Pendon and Jordyn Riley taking over most of the setting responsibilities. Pendon is usually a middle hitter and Riley typically played the libero, but both have adjusted for the betterment of the team.

"I'm lucky to have such a talented group of girls," Baker said. "Riley gave up her goal to be a defensive specialist to be our setter. She put the team ahead of her personal goals."

Mead was the last team to win the 4A title before Kentlake's three-year run. The Panthers took fifth at state last year, fourth in 2001 and third in 2000. They went 13-0 in regular-season play in as dominant a fashion as possible, winning 39 consecutive games.

Locally, Spanaway Lake is the top-ranked team, followed by No. 3 Snohomish, No. 6 Auburn Riverside, No. 8 Marysville-Pilchuck and No. 9 Olympia, though Marysville-Pilchuck swept Snohomish last Saturday to win its second district title in a row.

Unranked Garfield is the feel-good story of the tournament. The Bulldogs are the first Seattle school to qualify for the 4A tournament, and they made it the hard way, playing 12 games in a 10-hour period.

Garfield had to win loser-out matches against Bothell, Ballard and Woodinville on Saturday to qualify, and did so dramatically.

"The whole team just clicked on Saturday," junior Lillie Cohn said. "It wasn't just one or two players that did it - every player contributed to our success. Those three games are what sports are all about, that feeling when you work so hard and finally come out a winner, knowing just one error could've changed everything."