Prep volleyball state tournament: Lynnwood keeps trophy hopes alive, Meadowdale’s season ends

Lynnwood players react during a match at the Yakima Sun Dome Thursday. (Photo courtesy WIAA)

Day one of the two-day state high school volleyball tournament concluded at the Yakima Dome with the Lynnwood Royals winning two of their three matches while the Meadowdale Mavericks were eliminated in consecutive matches.

Lynnwood entered the 20-team tournament as the No. 14 seed, which meant they had to play an opening-round elimination match against No. 19 seed Auburn Riverside. The Royals advanced into the Round of 16 with a four-set victory over Auburn Riverside 25-20, 25-18, 21-25, 25-16.

The Royals weren’t as fortunate in the next round, losing in straight sets to No. 3 seed Peninsula 25-21, 25-11, 25-14. The loss knocked the team into the elimination consolation bracket with a chance to still advance to a trophy match if they could win two consecutive matches.

Members of the Lynnwood High School volleyball team strike a pose at the state tournament. (Photo courtesy Lynnwood Royals)

Lynnwood played a familiar foe in the team’s third and final match of the day — No. 6 seed Snohomish. This was the Panthers team that went undefeated in league play during the regular season, including a five-set victory over Lynnwood on Nov. 1. The two teams once again needed five sets, this time to determine which team would be eliminated and which team would advance to Friday’s final day of the tournament.

Snohomish looked strong early, winning the first set 25-13; however, Lynnwood tied up the match with a 25-23 second-set win. Snohomish went back out in front, winning the third set 25-19, giving the Panthers a 2-1 advantage. The Royals weren’t ready to go home, coming back to tie the match by winning the fourth set 25-22 and then ending the Panthers’ season by winning the final set 16-14.

The Royals’ next match will be against No. 15-seeded Kelso at 12:30 p.m. Friday. The losing team will be eliminated and the winner will advance to play in one final match at 5:45 p.m. Friday — the winner of the match between No. 13 Seattle Prep and No. 16 Lake Washington.  The winner of the 5:45 p.m. match will finish the tournament in seventh place and the losing team will take home the eighth-place trophy.

Meadowdale eliminated with back-to-back losses

The Mavericks entered the tournament as the No. 9 seed and faced No. 8 seed North Thurston in the Round of 16. North Thurston jumped out to a two-set lead after winning the first set 25-23, followed by a 25-18 second set. Meadowdale was able avoid a sweep by winning the thrilling third set, 29-27. North Thurston regrouped and finished off the match by winning the fourth set 25-12, giving them a 3-1 victory.

Meadowdale then played No. 16 seed Lake Washington in the consolation bracket, losing to the Kangaroos 25-19, 25-15, 23-25, 25-20. The loss ended a successful Meadowdale season that saw the team qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 2013.

— By Steve Willits

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