WP Wins 1, Loses 2 In Playoffs

WAITSBURG -- The WP Lady Cardinals took the first place seed into district play with a three game upset over the Dayton Bulldogs last Wednesday night. Missing many of their hometown fans who were at the concurrent Cardinals' football playoff game Saturday, the WP girls later team lost a tightly contested district playoff match against the home-courted Irish, ending the Cardinal players' hopes to go to state.

On Wednesday, each game was a point-for-point battle that had serving aces from Cardinal Rhiannon Chapman and kills from Krystal Harris.

A blocked Bulldog attack from Cardinal Dionna Baker and Harris tied the game at 22. A double hit from the Bulldogs was followed with a Bulldog in the net during a tipping war and the Cards were at game point 24-22.

Chapman wound up and swung out a kill to give the Cardinals a game one victory 25-23.

The Cardinal blocking duo of Baker and Samantha Fedderson went into action, and Kayla Huxull was utilizing all her hitters to help the Cards to a 23-all tie.

Back-to-back kills from Cardinals Sarah Mascall and Chapman would clinch a 25- 23 game two win.

The Cardinals rallied in game three with kills from Ronnie Hulce, Harris, Mascall, and Chapman. A kill from Baker and a serving ace from Hulce tied the game at 20. It was a constant see-saw battle until a failed Bulldog attack and two kills from Hulce gave the Cardinals a 30-28 win and the no. 1 seed into Saturday's district tournament.

The Cardinals played with heart and flowed as a team, but fell short in the first two games losing 25-27 and 17- 25.

The Cardinal team from earlier in the season would have taken this opportunity to hang their heads and quit communicating, but the new and improved Cardinal team took it to the Asotin Panthers instead.

They quickly scored first in game three with a Baker block and followed it up with a Harris ace and a Chapman block. The Cardinals versatility shined through as the birds took game three 25-21.

The Panthers were shut down in game four as the Cardinals momentum soared them to a 25-14 victory with just one quick game to 15 standing in their way to a state tournament berth as district champs.

Hulce came out swinging putting down four kills and an ace on the way to a 13-all tie.

The birds were caught in the net and the Panthers blocked a Cardinal air attack to take the title with a 15-13 victory over the Cardinals.

On Saturday, after losing to Asotin in five earlier in the day, the Cardinals came into the second-bracket game with high hopes of pulling off a victory over the Irish. But loud support from home fans, smart court maneuvers and a little Irish luck gave DeSales the upper hand in four.

"We could have won it," Baker said. "We were just really nervous."

As in several of the games, the Cardinals started out with a lead in the first, dominating early with good sets, digs and net saves. But WP fell to its own miscues, line and net errors, plus the intensity of tight Irish blocks, athletic digs and productive spikes.

DeSales won the first game 25-13.

The Cardinals shook off the loss quickly, making way for Hulce to pound away against the Irish and keeping rallies alive with some spectacular net saves. WP won the second, 25-17.

In the third, DeSales showed immediate power and edge, keeping a three-point margin for the first part of the game and increasing its lead with clever setups and spikes. WP exacerbated its slide with poor serving and occasional poor luck at the net. The Irish triumphed, 25-17.

Again, WP started out with a slight lead in the fourth, but DeSales caught up by 8-8. The teams traded leads for the next five points, but the butterflies sent WP's serves and spikes into the net, forcing Potts to call a time out at 20-16 in favor of the Irish.

But the Cardinals' woes continued and with each WP mistake and Irish success, the DeSales fans grew louder. Potts' team could simply not get back on top and the Irish put the match away 25-17 to win its number two place in the league.

"We struggled here and there. We made a lot of mental errors," Harris said. "We have the ability to go far and do well, but we also have to believe in it."

Scores from the Cardinals' last game were 25-27; 17-25; 25-21; 25-14; 13-15.