GARFIELD ECSTATIC ABOUT PLAY IN STATE TOURNAMENT
-Mike McLaughlin, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
November 15, 2003

It seems everyone had an opinion yesterday about the spanking new Everett Events Center, site of the state high school volleyball championships.

Teams from Western Washington favored Everett over Spokane because of the travel issue, and almost every coach ultimately gave the facility a thumbs-up.

There were glitches, however, such as the fact two of the four scoreboards were not working. And until the parking facility is finished, parking around the venue is limited. The temperature on the floor was chilly because of the hockey ice below the temporary volleyball surface.

While the cold didn't seem to affect players on the floor, several participants complained it was tough after sitting on the bench to loosen up when they entered the game.

"If anything should be addressed, it's the space behind the back court line for serving," Redmond coach Ross Johnson said. "They stopped putting court tiles down about 5 feet behind the back line, but there's at least another 3 feet they could have used.

"Because they won't allow the girls to use that additional 3 feet, it hurts the kids who jump-serve."

Another oft-heard complaint: Having the 3A and 4A championship matches scheduled at the same time.

Overall, though, most comments about the Events Center were positive.

"I think this place is great for the fans," said Auburn Riverside coach Chris Leverenz. "It is loud and exciting, and the fans are right on top of the action."

"We absolutely love having the tournament here," said Snohomish coach Shirley Siegel. "The people that organized this event did a great job. This is history, having the first high school athletic event here. Some day the kids will look back and say they were part of it."

BLANCHET GOES DOWN: Considered a sure bet to go deep into the 3A winners' bracket, Bishop Blanchet suddenly found itself in an unfamiliar place after its first-round match against Prosser - the consolation bracket.

The Braves fell in the tournament opener, losing 25-19, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20.

"We were pretty flat," said Blanchet coach Joanne Gilligan. "We were just making a lot of uncharacteristic errors - missing passes and serves and hitting the ball out of bounds."

The loss was a disappointment for a team and school who had pinned its hopes on the team making a serious run at the state title. So much so that school was cancelled yesterday so students could attend the game.

Blanchet bounced back in its second-round game and swept Shorecrest 25-21, 25-18, 25-13. Stephanie Augustavo led the Braves with 15 kills, setter Tori Ross added 31 assists and Krista Lersch anchored the defense with 19 digs, nine kills and two aces.

KINGCO FIZZLES: Redmond and Garfield had short trips to state, both losing twice.

Redmond lost to No. 4 Heritage 24-26, 25-19, 25-19, 25-17, and then to Kamiakin in three games in a loser-out match.

Garfield, the first Seattle school to qualify for the 4A tournament, was swept by No. 2 Spanaway Lake 25-6, 25-15, 25-23.

Garfield rebounded and gave Eisenhower a run for its money before losing in three games in a loser-out match.

The Bulldogs made the tournament record book, however, losing their first game to the Cadets, 37-35. The 72 combined points is a record for one game, though 2003 is the first year for rally scoring.

"We're ecstatic because we played well," Garfield coach Leslie Hamann said. "We were a little nervous against Spanaway, and they're a very good team, but we fought back and played them tough in the third game.

"We were one of the few teams that lost in the first round and were still happy about the way we played.

"Against Eisenhower, we fought hard in that first game, but 72 points, that took a lot of wind out of our sails."