[ t o u r n e y t o w n . c o m -- Zillah, Cle Elum Still Alive in 1A Tourney ]

Leopards, Warriors rebound from first-round
defeats; both still alive for for trophy round

Amy Moritz surveyed the court, got the referee’s go-ahead and then served — right into the net.

But wait, a ball from another game on another court had rolled onto the one Moritz was playing on Friday, thereby rendering her errant point moot.

And if ever a team was deserving of a do-over, it was Moritz’s Zillah Leopards.

Neither tears nor sweat from a 3-2 loss to No. 1-ranked Liberty Bell had dried when Zillah had to step right back onto the same SunDome court and take on University Prep. Faced with this unusual and unfortunate challenge, the Leopards somehow responded with a 3-0 victory and lived to play another day in the Class 1A state volleyball tournament.

Cle Elum did, too. The Warriors followed a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Bellevue Christian with a 3-2 triumph over Kalama, thus, like Zillah, reaching consolation bracket play Saturday and the chance to win a trophy.

Both area teams return to action at 9 a.m., with Cle Elum meeting River View and Zillah meeting Cedar Park Christian.

The survivors play again at 2:15 p.m., with the winner finishing fifth and the loser eighth. Losers of the morning games will be eliminated.

“At least we’re still playing,” an emotionally exhausted Erin Aumavae, Zillah’s coach, said after her team’s victory. “That was our goal, to play on Saturday.”

For awhile it seemed the Leopards would be in Friday night’s quarterfinals and the authors of a major upset.

Their match with Liberty Bell had see-sawed dramatically, with Zillah winning the first game 25-19 and the third game 25-16 and the Mountain Lions claiming the second game 25-13 and the fourth 25-16.

Then hustling play by Chelsey Quigley, Lacey Wentz, Gentry Affholter and Rondelle Guthrie, along with several Liberty Bell errors, had staked the Leopards to a 13-7 lead in the first-to-15 finale.

But back the Mountain Lions came, surviving four match points to advance. On several of those points it appeared a Zillah shot would find its mark, only to see Liberty Bell libero Danielle Monetta, a 5-foot-4 senior, produce a match-saving dig.

The Mountain Lions finally gained the upper hand when 6-foot Korrie Bourn and 5-7 Kimberly Taylor blocked a Tefini Uasike kill attempt for a point and an 18-17 lead. Then when Zillah went back to the powerful Uasike for another slam, Bourne and 6-0 Kylie Paluck rejected it for the game-winner.

“Danielle,” said a relieved Liberty Bell coach Greg Knott, “is without question one of the best back-row players in north-central Washington, and we certainly needed her today. But all credit to Zillah. They were very scrappy and played very hard.”

Cle Elum's Sammy Jo Brooks, left, and Adrienne Arnold (6), almost collide as they both try to return a serve from Bellevue Christian during Friday morning play at the Class 1A state tournament.

BRIAN FITZGERALD/Yakima Herald-Republic

So did Cle Elum, although the Warriors didn’t always play intelligently, according to coach Lygay Jaeger.

After dominating Bellevue Christian 25-15 in their first game, the Warriors lost 21-25, 14-25, 29-27, 10-15.

“We didn’t serve consistently well and at the right times,” she said afterward, “and we didn’t defend well. Sometimes we didn’t have people in the right spots and at other times people weren’t even trying to get there.”

Similar problems plagued Cle Elum through two games of its match against Kalama, which went 25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 25-27 before the Warriors prevailed 15-10.

“We always seem to take the hard way,” Jaeger said while her players gathered their gear. “We’ve had our share of five-game matches this season, and this would have been especially frustrating to lose because we won the first two games.

“In the fifth game, we served better and we started attacking the ball like we did in the first two games.”

Zillah, meanwhile, not only survived but thrived in its match with University Prep, a Seattle team listing former Eisenhower mentor Lynn Roberson as an assistant coach.

“Chelsey Quigley was really good for us today, and she hasn’t had much glory all year,” Aumavae said, “and Amy Schilperoort, our middle hitter, was just really tough. And we won our third game this time, which has been a problem for us all season.”

And who knows, maybe having to play again with little time to rest, or to dwell on their misfortune, might have helped the Leopards.

“We wanted to come back and play on Saturday, that was our focus,” said Schilperoort, a 5-9 senior. “And I think it all worked out for us. We had to just come back out and play again, right then and right there.”

“But now,” concluded Aumavae, “we’re going to go out and have a nice, long dinner.”

STATISTICAL LEADERS (reported by coaches)
Cle Elum highlights vs. Bellevue Christian: Sammy Jo Brooks 19 kills, 19 digs; Monique Bocchetti 10 kills; Taylor Rico 17-17 serving, 20 assists, 22 digs; Marcie Maras 28-28 serving.
Cle Elum highlights vs. Kalama: Sammy Jo Brooks 15 kills, 3 blocks, 29 digs; Monique Bocchetti 13 kills; Taylor Rico 35-35 serving, 7 kills, 28 assists, 25 digs; Marcie Maras 23-23 serving; Alisha Bator 4 assists, 17 digs.
Zillah highlights vs. Liberty Bell: Kristy Flores 7-7 serving, 11 digs; Chelsey Quigley 5 digs; Lacey Wentz 17-18 serving, 2 aces, 7 digs, 21 assists; Amy Schilperoort 2 digs, 5 blocks, 11 kills; Amy Moritz 12-13 serving; Joelle Patterson 3 digs, 2 blocks, 3 assists; Felicia Gonzales 6-7 serving, 6 digs; Tefini Uasike 19-22 serving, 6 aces, 2 digs, 3 blocks, 7 kills; Gentry Affholter 18-18 serving, 2 aces, 7 digs; Amanda Hill 4 kills; Rondelle Guthrie 7-10 serving, 2 aces, 8 digs, 3 kills.
Zillah highlights vs. University Prep: Kristy Flores 9-9 serving, 3 aces, 5 digs; Chelsey Quigley 14 digs; Lacey Wentz 12-12 serving, 3 digs, 18 assists; Amy Schilperoort 5 kills; Amy Moritz 9-11 serving, 2 aces, 2 digs; Joelle Patterson 2 digs, 3 kills, 4 assists; Felicia Gonzales 14-14 serving, 2 aces, 2 digs; Tefini Uasike 5-8 serving, 2 blocks, 6 kills; Gentry Affholter 17-19 serving, 2 aces, 8 digs; Amanda Hill 2 digs, 2 kills; Rondelle Guthrie 5 digs, 7 kills.