WPL teams hitting the nets for postseason
Oct. 27—Before the hoops get brought down (or rolled in, depending on the location), there's still some business to get done on the net.
The Idaho state volleyball tournaments begin this week and local teams are represented in the Idaho Class 1A Division I and 1A Division II state tournaments.
The Kendrick Tigers and Deary Mustangs will compete in the 1A DII tournament, and the Genesee Bulldogs and Troy Trojans will compete in the 1A DI tournament.
Both tournaments take place in Lewiston: 1A DI at the P1FCU Activity Center at Lewis-Clark State College and 1A DII will be at Lewiston High School.
Genesee vs. Wallace, 9 a.m. today
The first match today will be No. 4 Genesee against the No. 5 Wallace Miners at 9 a.m. The two teams met twice this season in a tournament. The Bulldogs won both 2-0 with set scores of 25-20, 25-22 and 25-18, 25-16, respectively. The Miners only had three overall losses this season, and two of them came against Genesee. Wallace will be looking to get redemption for those two blemishes on its ledger, but the Bulldogs have all kinds of momentum going into today.
Genesee went through a competitive Whitepine League Division I district tournament and ended up winning the consolation bracket final against Kamiah, a team that beat the Bulldogs in three previous matches during the season.
The team is firing on all cylinders. Senior setter Mia Scharnhorst set a single-game record in digs and became the all-time career leader in school history in the same stat.
"Last week was a long week," Genesee coach Pete Crowley said. "We started off (this week) just making sure (the players) got their minds and their bodies rested a little bit. ... We're really excited. Last week was a really tough, emotional week to play three loser-outs and ultimately have to come back and beat Kamiah. ... that kind of required everything we had."
The defense that Scharnhorst and the rest of the Bulldogs receivers provide can make any point turn into a long back-and-forth rally. But their offense is just as dangerous. Junior outside hitter Makayla Herman recorded 21 kills in Genesee's win against Kamiah.
The Miners will be looking for redemption today, but should the Bulldogs play at the level they did in the district tournament, Wallace may come up short in that endeavor.
Troy vs. Oakley, 11 a.m. today
The second 1A D1 match involving a local team today will be the first step in Troy's effort to move toward its third consecutive state title. The first roadblock in the Trojans' path is the Oakley Hornets.
The Hornets are underdogs coming into this match and there's a good reason why, aside from Troy's past accomplishments.
The Trojans only have one loss on the season, are undefeated overall in 1A D1 competition and went through the district tournament without giving up a set.
Troy is one of the most efficient teams when it comes to hitting percentage, rarely dipping below 90% at the service line and the Trojans rarely commit unforced errors. The defense is a steadfast unit that rarely allows extended runs by the opposition.
All of this already stacks up for an uphill battle by Oakley. The Hornets also have less rest, and harder matches in recent outings than the Trojans. Three of Oakley's last four matches have gone to extra sets.
Troy is a favorite going into the state tournament, having won back-to-back state championships already, and should the Hornets pull off the upset, it'll be one of the most surprising results of the tournament.
Council vs. Kendrick, 11 a.m. today
This year's Idaho Class 1A Division II Whitepine League champ and last year's 2022 academic state champion, No. 6 Kendrick, is looking to add another piece of hardware to its trophy case and will make its first attempt against the No. 3 Council Lumberjacks.
The Tigers, like the Trojans, were undefeated in classification competition and also pulled out a few competitive showings during the season against higher-classification schools including 2A Orofino and Grangeville.
The Tigers are one of the better all-around teams in the tournament and have only been swept outside tournament competition once.
All three of the Lumberjacks' losses this season have come against Horseshoe Bend.
Kendrick coach Molly Olson stated how continuing to put up strong and solid blocks throughout the state tournament will be a key emphasis for her squad. That, and the level of consistency the Tigers had on the angles of their kills in the Whitepine League championship against Deary, will be the key for a deep tournament run.
Horseshoe Bend vs. Deary, 11 a.m. today
The last local game on the docket is a battle between two groups of Mustangs. Horseshoe Bend is a favorite in the tournament. The Long Pin League champions are undefeated and the No. 1 seed in the state tournament.
Deary, for its credit, is no slouch. The Whitepine League DII runners-up might not have an impressive overall record, but it is more than capable of pulling out a surprise win.
The Mustangs of Deary have been swept just once this season by a team in the 1A DII classification — and it was against Kendrick in the league championship game.
The key to victory against Horseshoe Bend is a steady defense.
Deary was able to put up a competitive three sets against the Tigers (despite being swept) by adjusting to Kendrick's attack angles and pulling out long rallies.
Should the Mustangs' offense be able to spot Horseshoe Bend out of position on those long rallies, as they have shown the capability to do, the ingredients to an upset can be laid.
"Our defense is the main thing for us," Deary coach Brooke Swanson said. "Being quicker to adapt even more so and more flying around. More balls to the wall, hitting the floor. I tell my girls 'ball before body.' And that's the mindset we need to have."
Kowatsch can be contacted at 208-848-2268, tkowatsch@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @Teren_Kowatsch.
