YAKIMA – For La Center volleyball, reaching the Class 1A state semifinals for the second year in a row doesn’t feel like history repeating.
Rather, it’s the next chapter.
With 11 of 14 players back from last year’s third-place team, the Wildcats used that experience to enter the Yakima Valley SunDome on Friday unfazed and focused.
La Center (21-1) swept its quarterfinal foe Bear Creek after also sweeping the morning’s first-round match over Zillah.
That puts the No. 3 seed Wildcats in Saturday’s semifinals against No. 2 Cascade Christian, which La Center beat in a five-set thriller in last year’s quarterfinals.
Last season, La Center earned its highest state finish since the Wildcats finished third in 1995. Senior captain Billie Ross said that accomplishment marked the baseline for this season.
“It feels like a continuation of last year,” Ross said. “I think we have worked so much harder for what we want this year. It’s really good getting most of the girls back from last year. The team chemistry is just awesome.”
La Center cruised past No. 11 Bear Creek, winning 25-13, 25-20, 25-13. That came after a similarly dominant performance over No. 14 Zillah (25-13, 25-17, 25-9).
“We weren’t underestimating anyone,” Ross said. “We came here knowing we had a fight to win. We didn’t want to second-guess ourselves. We came in guns blazing.”
Two other Trico League teams are also alive for Class 1A hardware.
No. 9 seed Stevenson reached the quarterfinals with a tense 26-24, 27-25, 25-23 win over No. 8 Lynden Christian. Olivia Fauth had 14 kills and seven blocks while Samia Rudd added 11 kills.
The Bulldogs (17-5) then ran into a buzzsaw, losing 25-14, 25-12 and 25-21 to a top-seeded Chelan team that has won the last four 1A state titles. Stevenson will play in a fifth-place semifinals Saturday needing a win to clinch the program’s first state trophy.
After being swept in the first round by Cascade Christian, No. 15 seed Seton Catholic stayed alive by beating No. 10 Bellevue Christian in four sets (25-23, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19). That put the Cougars into the seventh-place semifinal and the chance to earn the program’s second state trophy (Seton placed third in the 1B tournament in 2011).
No. 16 seed Kalama saw its season end with three-set losses to Chelan and Lynden Christian.
