4A volleyball: Mead claims 2nd state title in a row

EVERETT — The Mead High volleyball team proved it could build a streak as well as it could break one.

Top-ranked Mead of Spokane, which snapped No. 2 Eisenhower's 32-match winning streak a week ago, extended its own run of Class 4A state championships to two with a decisive 25-23, 25-15, 25-23 sweep of the Cadets in last night's 4A state final at the Everett Events Center.

"We felt we were peaking at the right time," junior middle blocker Megan Thigpen said of the Panthers (30-2), who haven't lost since falling to Eisenhower on Oct. 11 in the Crossover Invitational in Spokane. "We were playing our game and having fun."

Eisenhower, the Big Nine Conference champion, won its first 32 matches of the season. Mead ended that run in the East Regional championship match. The Cadets (35-2) would have been perfectly happy with a modest four-match streak to end the season, but the Panthers closed the door again for their second victory over Eisenhower in three meetings.

Mead has now placed among the top five at state for five consecutive years. The Panthers were third in 2000, fourth in 2001 and fifth in 2002 before winning the last two titles.

"We ran into a team with a lot of weapons," Eisenhower coach Brad Ackerman said. "And we had a few mental lapses where we let them get on long runs."

Mead prevailed in a see-saw first game that was evenly played. But the match slipped quickly away from Eisenhower in the second game, when the Cadets gave away points on six attack errors and four service errors, the last one coming on game point.

Eisenhower jumped to a 9-3 lead in the third game and seemed prepared to extend the contest.

But Thigpen got a kill for side-out, then proceeded to serve up an eight-point streak that included three aces and gave the Panthers the lead for good.

"My focus the whole time was for these seniors," Thigpen said with a nod toward her celebrating teammates. "I was just really pumped."

Thigpen finished with eight kills and four blocks, senior outside hitter Rachael Schurman had a team-high 15 kills and four blocks, and senior setter Lacey Anderson had 11 digs and four blocks to go with 31 assists for the Panthers.

Eisenhower, which has just three seniors in a junior-dominated lineup, improved on last-year's sixth-place finish. In that tournament, the sophomore-heavy Cadets fell to Auburn Riverside in the first round.

"Maybe they were a deer in the headlights last year, but these guys have been here," Ackerman said. "This was as good an opportunity (to win) as any."

Junior outside hitter Nikki Hernandez led Eisenhower with 15 kills. Fellow junior Laiken Dollente added seven kills and 13 digs and junior Cassie Robbins contributed seven kills and three blocks.

Semifinals

Mead 3, Gonzaga Prep 0

The Panthers cruised past their GSL rivals in three games, 25-22, 25-16, 25-21.

Eisenhower 3, University 0

The Cadets from Yakima got to the championship match with a 25-20, 26-24, 25-22 victory over the Spokane school.