YAKIMA — There were a lot of state titles represented by the two teams on the floor Friday night at the Class 2B State Volleyball Championships.
The Colfax Bulldogs added another piece of hardware to an already bulging trophy case at the end of what could best be described as a championship effort.
Colfax won its fifth straight state title, beating two-time defending Class 2B champion La Conner 27-25, 25-12, 25-12.
“We played some excellent volleyball,” said Colfax coach Sue Doering. “The kids played awesome. After we beat Tekoa-Oaksdale, we figured we were the best team at the tournament.”
La Conner finishes its season second in state.
“I would have loved to see the outcome go the other way,” said Kelsey Kennedy, the Braves’ lone senior. “I’m going to miss practicing and working my butt off and being around (my teammates).”
With six seniors to La Conner’s one, Colfax’s experience might have played a part in the loss.
“That shouldn’t be a factor,” Kennedy said. “We lost our talk and lost our fire and they had it throughout the match.”
It was a battle of volleyball titans as the two familiar foes rekindled a dormant rivalry for a piece of very familiar hardware — a state championship trophy.
For the past two seasons, Colfax had won state championships titles at the Class 1A level while La Conner was winning at Class 2B. In 2004 and 2005 Colfax beat La Conner to win the 1A championship.
This year, the Bulldogs dropped down to the 2B level. And once again, as in years past, wound up facing the Braves for the title.
“Colfax is a very good team,” said La Conner coach Suzanne Marble. “They don’t give up. They were down 24-20 and they didn’t quit.”
For the Braves, unforced errors may have proven to be their downfall, Marble added.
None bigger than the one that occurred in the first game when La Conner served the ball out of bounds — on game point with what was a four-point cushion.
“That missed serve in the first game was a turning point,” Marble said. “Missing a serve on game point is a big miss. That changed everything. They (Colfax) really sent a message in that first game.”
After that error, the Bulldogs Kyla Johnson took over at the net. She amassed four kills in a spurt that put Colfax into the lead, then sealed the come-from-behind victory from the service line as a teammate put it to the floor.
And along with it, any chance for the Braves to rally back.
After that, Colfax poured it on and cruised to two victories where they found holes in the defense, end and side lines. For every diving play the Braves made, the Bulldogs seemingly had an answer.
Johnson would continue her dominant net play throughout the match.
“They really went after it,” said Doering. “One thing about this team, is they never give up. It’s always fun.”
Kennedy ended her career with seven kills and 16 digs. Candice Pedroza had 21 assists while Julie Hulbert had two blocks and six kills, and Abi Hedlund had 15 digs.
The last time the two squads tangled was in 2005 in the 1A championship match where the Bulldogs emerged victorious in five games. In 2004, the two teams also clashed in the title game with Colfax sweeping the Braves.
In 2002, La Conner beat the Bulldogs in a semi-final match and then went on to defeat Freeman 2-1 to claim the crown.
La Conner, earned the right to play for the trophy after defeating the Davenport Gorillas 25-21, 25-13, 25-23. Davenport went on to finish sixth.
Colfax played its way into the title match after defeating the Nighthawks of Tekoa-Oaksdale, the No. 3 ranked team in the state 25-20, 23-25, 25-10, 25-19. Tekoa-Oaksdale, the defending state champion at the Class 1B level, ended the tournament in third place.
“They have six seniors,” Marble said. “We have one. Next year, we’ll be back. So the rivalry will continue.”
Note
The Braves volleyball team earned the WIAA academic award for compiling a team grade-point average of 3.89.
• Vince Richardson can be reached at 360-416-2181 or by e-mail at
