YAKIMA – Enjoying their final highschool volleyball match, La Heart’s seniors weren’t primarily targeted on profitable.
Making one final reminiscence. Having fun with one another’s camaraderie and assist.
That was the main target as La Heart completed its season on the Class 1A state volleyball match Saturday on the Yakima Valley SunDome.
The Wildcats (21-3) misplaced a hard-fought five-set match to Cedar Park Christian simply hours after falling in 4 units to Cascade Christian within the semifinals.
However fourth place introduced no tears or regrets.
“We wanted to leave here satisfied,” senior captain Aristyn Wiseman mentioned. “I think we’re pretty satisfied.”
Fellow captain Billie Ross mentioned irrespective of the outcome Saturday, this 12 months’s 5 seniors have been going to stroll off the court docket smiling.
“We wanted to have a positive attitude,” Ross mentioned. “We might not have been playing the best, but we were lifting each other the whole way through.”
There’s loads of cause for these seniors to take pleasure. Their 4 consecutive journeys to the state match is a program document.
After inserting eighth as sophomores and third final 12 months, profitable three consecutive state trophies is the primary time La Heart has completed that in three many years.
Wildcats coach Cymany O’Brien performed on these Don Johnson-coached groups, which positioned third, first and third from 1993 to 1995.
O’Brien mentioned the senior class, which additionally contains Leah Dye, Mia Achziger and Esther Langeliers have elevated this system to its highest level in her 11 years of teaching.
“They have set a standard for leadership. The way they take care of everybody on the team. Even at practice, making sure all the things are done and ready to go.”
O’Brien mentioned it was no shock to listen to her gamers prioritized points past profitable of their ultimate match.
“For them to say that, I’m not surprised in the least,” O’Brien mentioned. “This season has been all about being in the moment and supporting each other.”
La Heart’s hopes of becoming a member of the 1994 workforce as state champions have been dashed in a 3-1 semifinal loss to No. 2 seed Cascade Christian of Puyallup.
After profitable the primary set 25-19, the Wildcats dropped the following three 25-17, 25-22, and 25-21. Typically they’d no reply for the Cougars’ 6-foot-2 outdoors hitter Layne Dent, a St. Mary’s commit.
Langelier had a team-high 18 kills and Ross added 14 kills and three aces.
Ross shined within the third-place match, which La Heart misplaced 25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 21-25 and 15-11. She had 12 kills, 16 digs, 9 blocks and three aces.
Two different Trico groups fell one match in need of incomes a state trophy. Stevenson misplaced in three units to Cashmere whereas Seton Cathlolic fell in three units to Meridian.