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| Published November 15, 2003 :: Home |
Timberwolves Finish Eighth By SCOTT SPRUILL YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC Something evil seemed afoot. How could the breaks of the bracket in the Class 1A state volleyball tournament fall so devilishly against one team? Every time Goldendale’s team turned around, there was big trouble. First off, the Timberwolves had to open Friday against last year’s state runner-up, Freeman. After falling in three games, coach Jodi Bellamy’s wide-eyed team had to return to the SunDome late at night for a loser-out match. The SCAC West champions survived that, whipping University Prep in three, but their reward? Another loser-out match Saturday against La Conner, the reigning state champion. But a funny thing happened on the way to the self-pity party. Goldendale had other plans on Saturday. In what setter Jodi Witt described as her team’s “ultimate test of willpower,” the Timberwolves emerged victorious from a two-hour slugfest with La Conner, beating -- and eliminating -- the 2002 champs 25-22, 12-25, 25-22, 16-25, 15-13. That perseverance earned Goldendale what it came here for -- a state trophy. But while the marathon against La Conner was clearly the highlight of the season, the effort cost the Timberwolves in their placing final. After dominating Bellevue Christian in the first two games in a match for fifth and eighth place, Goldendale finally hit a wall and the Vikings rallied for a 18-25, 8-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-6 win. Regardless of that outcome, the day still ended with a trophy presentation. And that was a result of Goldendale’s tireless effort against La Conner. The Timberwolves showed their undaunted intentions by winning the first game, the longest of the five. The game was tied 10 times before a 6-0 run with Jessica Perez serving put the Timberwolves in control. They alternated wins from there, setting up the decisive game and that’s where Graff exerted her presence the most. The 5-foot-10 senior middle was often paired directly against La Conner’s big arm, 5-11 senior Mattie Blevens. On one point in the final game, Graff squeezed a shot straight through Blevens’ solo block for one of her team-high 13 kills. “She’s their go-to hitter and I saw it as me and her,” said Graff, who also had five blocks, five digs and six assists. “I had to try to shut her down and I knew she’d try to shut me down. We saw a lot of each other.” Once the Freeman loss was behind them and their spirits were sufficiently re-energized with the night-owl win over University Prep, the Timberwolves set their sights not so much on La Conner but on a trophy. “We had to play our game and not concentrate on them being No. 1 last year,” Graff said. “I think that was part of our problem yesterday (against Freeman).
We knew they were a good team and we didn’t think enough about our own
game.”
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