Cheney High volleyball head coach Heather Zorrozua said her Lady Blackhawks did all they could do and did everything right — and still came up on the short end of a back-and-forth battle with Selah in regional crossover action.
The second-seeded Vikings from the Central Washington Athletic Conference found a way to finally come out the winners of a five-set match last Saturday, defeating Cheney 23-25, 25-18, 20-25, 27-25 and 17-15. Selah advances to state while the Lady Blackhawks’ season ends.
“They played amazing,” Zorrozua said. “They followed the scouting report. We were the smarter team. We executed our game plan. I don’t know what to say.”
Cheney had a chance to put Selah away late in the match. The Lady Blackhawks led 20-12 in the fourth set when the Vikings called upon outside hitters Maddy Quigley and Kylie Wilkey. Zorrozua said the pair were good players who hit hard, something Cheney found difficult to counter.
Quigley and Wilkey combined for 45 kills in the match, with several helping the Vikings rally to win the fourth set. In the fifth, Selah opened a 14-9 lead and needed just one point, one Cheney mistake to earn the match win.
But the Lady Blackhawks wouldn’t go easily, rallying from the brink of elimination to catch the Vikings, but couldn’t find a way through to the win. Selah advances to the 2A state tournament, facing Fife in the first round.
“They played with heart, especially when down,” Zorrozua said. “It was bittersweet for sure.”
Cheney finishes the season 10-7 overall, and loses four seniors to graduation: Allison Janes, Meghan Short, Taishae Wallace and Peyton Stark. Stark was a first-team All Great Northern League selection.
Zorrozua said she will focus on coaching middle school volleyball to help continue building Cheney’s program. She hopes her returning players take advantage of upcoming club team tryouts and off-season weight room activities before returning to focus on the 2018 season this summer.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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