By PAUL SHUGAR
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

The seven seniors on the Goldendale volleyball team probably wish they had just one more season left, because each year ends better than the last.

Goldendale's Hillary Moss returns the ball against Onalaska in the Class 1A consolation bracket Saturday in the SunDome. Goldendale won the match 14-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-17.   GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic

The Timberwolves added a fourth-place trophy to their resume at the 1A state volleyball tournament Saturday in the SunDome, defeating Freeman 23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 20-25, 15-12.

Two years ago the team finished eighth. Last year it took sixth, so the girls definitely kept that self-improvement trend going.

“We knew that had been the pattern and we were determined that we have to get at least fourth,” said Goldendale middle hitter Ashley Dyment, one of the team’s many seniors.

“We wanted it so badly and we knew we were going to get it. We kept the intensity level up and showed that we could do it.”

There was a lot of local emotion flowing in the 1A tournament Saturday. While all three Yakima-area teams were playing in the consolation bracket, two of the three teams — Zillah and Goldendale — managed to take home trophies.

But the only team to win both its games Saturday was Goldendale (16-2 overall), and the second victory required plenty of intensity to get past the pesky Scotties (11-7). The Timberwolves defeated Onalaska to start the day 14-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-17.

Despite dropping the first game against Freeman 25-23, Goldendale rallied with two 25-18 wins to take control of the match. But the Scotties, who finished seventh, rallied after tying the fourth game at 18 late to take a 25-20 win and force a fifth game.

With the momentum swinging away from the SCAC district champions, the last thing Timberwolves coach Jodi Bellamy was doing was starting to panic.

“No I wasn’t worried; we’ve done this many times against Zillah the past couple of weeks — fighting the momentum,” Bellamy said. “I just told the girls to finish strong and go out and swing hard.

“We can’t start tipping. We have to go with what got us here and we need to go out firing.”

Goldendale did just that, taking the final game 15-12. Dyment led the team with 18 kills and three blocks in the match, Tiffany Ferch finished with 14 kills, five blocks and three aces and Jessie Davenport finished with 41 assists.

Unlike it’s SCAC rival, Zillah couldn’t win both its games on Saturday and ended up taking home the eighth-place trophy. The Leopards dispatched Cedar Park 25-19, 25-16, 25-20, but fell to River View — the second-ranked team from the SCAC — 25-18, 13-25, 25-18, 25-17 in the first meeting of the year between the two teams.

The Panthers, who finished fifth, established themselves early in every game they won. Still, after dropping a hard-fought, five-game match against eventual third-place Liberty Bell to open tournament play Friday, Zillah coach Erin Aumavae had no complaints about her senior-laden team — other than they’re leaving.

“I’m a little emotional now that I realize it’s over,” said Aumavae, whose team features seven seniors and finished the year at 11-7. “They played so hard.”

The trophy, however, is the perfect parting gift for the senior class. Senior setter Lacey Wentz is the only Leopard who played with the volleyball team as a freshman and helped the squad earn an eighth-place trophy that year at state.

“It just feels really good knowing that we set a goal (of winning a trophy at state) and then made it happen,” Wentz said. “That’s exactly what we wanted.”

Wentz finished with 24 assists and 10 digs in the match against River View. Tefini Uasike led the offense with 11 kills.

River View closed out the season of scrappy SCAC rival Cle Elum with a 25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 25-15 win. The Warriors, the district’s No. 3 seed, fell for the second time this season to the second seeded Panthers.

“We pretty much beat ourselves,” said Cle Elum coach Lygay Jaeger, whose team finished out the season at 12-6. “We kept getting burned on the same places on the floor where people were supposed to be covering.”

Sammy Jo Brooks led the Warriors with 16 kills, four blocks and 15 digs, Alisha Bator had 11 kills, nine assists and four blocks and Monique Bocchetti had 13 kills and one block.

STATISTICAL LEADERS (reported by coaches)
Goldendale highlights: Ashley Dyment 34 kills, 5 blocks 14-14 serving; Tiffany Ferch 3 aces, 26 kills, 12 blocks, 4 digs; Kylee Bellamy 12 kills, 13-13 serving, 14 passes, 21 digs, 7 kills, 9 passes; Jessie Davenport 12-12 serving, 41 assists, 1 kill; Hillary Moss 45-47, 9 aces, 4 kills, Kayli Campbell 14 perfect passes, 25 digs; Kayla Graff 8 digs.
Zillah highlights: Kristy Flores 15-16 serving, 4 aces, 17 digs, 1 kill; Chelsey Quigley 15 digs; Lacey Wentz 29-32 serving, 4 aces, 17 digs, 1 block 53 assists, 2 kills; Amy Schilperoort 20 kills, 1 block, 1 assist; Amy Moritz 16-18 serving, ace 5 digs; Joelle Patterson 12 digs, 9 assists, 3 kills, 1 block; Felicia Gonzales 23-24, 2 aces 19 digs, Tefini Uasike 27-29, 4 aces, 16 digs, 24 kills, Gentry Affholter 31-41, 4 aces, 23 digs, kill; Amanda Hill 9 kills, Rondelle Guthrie 10 digs, 15 kills.