Timberline settled for silver in its last two tournaments but made it to gold at home.The Wolves placed first in a senior girls volleyball tournament they hosted at the Timberline gymnasium Friday and Saturday.
Crosstown rivals Carihi Tyees came out of the 12-team tournament tied for seventh with D.W. Poppy.
In round robin play, Timberline beat Claremont 25-11; 25-15 and DW Poppy 25-13; 25-14.
In pool play, all the girls played well with Sarah Chase leading the team in kills. Both setters, Tommi Corder and Nicole Herbert, also put in highlight performances, their coach, Terry Philp said. Winning the pool gave us a bye into the quarter finals.
Meanwhile, Carihi placed second in their pool, beating Woodlands 22-25; 25-9; and 15-9 and losing to Nanaimo 16-25; 21-25. Carihi then met Mark Isfeld in their first cross-over game and beat them 19-25; 25-18; 15-9. This meant Carihi would be meeting their crosstown rivals in the quarter final in which timberline beat them in straight sets, 25-14; 25-18.
“This was a fun match as the girls all know each other and the Chase sisters were on two different sides of the net,” Philp said. “Carihi pushed us better than anyone else had done thus far in the tournament.”
Timberline’s next match was the semi-final. Somehow, the number nine seed in the tournament, Claremont, had managed to upset a top seed and land in the semi-final.
Once again, Timberline won in straight sets.
“Blockers Farryn Elhorn, Ana Christensen and Kaitlyn Herbert really sealed off the net,” Philp said. “Tough serving from Brooklyn Reesor and some great attacks by Megan Turko helped lead us to a fairly one-sided result. We won 25-10; 25-7.”
The other semi-final featured two strong contenders, defending bronze medalists, Nanaimo and the number four-ranked AA in the province, Cedar. It was a very strong match that went three sets, with Cedar prevailing.
“In the final, we were caught off guard by fast play as we hadn’t been tested quite enough in our semi-final,” Philp said. “Cedar came out swinging and took the first set 20-25. The gym was packed, but very quiet during that first game. We did not play well and some of the girls were very nervous at playing in front of a home crowd.
“In the second set, we got a bit more spirited and aggressive and gave the fans something to cheer about. Both teams played great defense and we had some very long rallies.”
Hayley Zumkeller was their back row defensive star, leading the team in digs. Cedar started tipping more and being less aggressive in their attack. Timberline stepped on the gas and kept hitting, winning the second set 25-22.
In the third set, Timberline found their stride and won 15-4.
“It was a very exciting final and was the kind of volleyball we had been wanting to play,” Philp said. “I think we gave the fans a great show. I was very proud of the girls. They maintained focus, despite the distraction of the home gym. It was a sweet victory.”
Timberline has this weekend off and head to the North Island Championships on Nov. 8-9 in Nanaimo. They are hosting the Island Championships Nov. 15-16.
