Prep volleyball: Mt. Spokane looking to build on success of second-place state finish

When Mt. Spokane volleyball was announced as the second seed in last month’s State 3A tournament, second-year coach Darcy McMurray knew nothing would come easy for the Wildcats.

A loaded field – including fellow Greater Spokane League rivals Ridgeline and University – meant the Wildcats would have to play their best volleyball of the season to leave the Yakima Valley SunDome with a trophy.

Not only did they achieve that goal, they nearly won the whole thing.

Led by the play of standout middle blocker/senior outside hitter Berkeley Neilson, Mt. Spokane finished in second place after falling to North Thurston in the title match on Nov. 22.

“As a coach, there is nothing that makes you happier than when your seniors really come through for the team and show up like that at the state tournament,” McMurray said. “I’m so proud of the effort from our whole team, but that senior leadership was really something special during the run.”

The Wildcats (18-4) opened the 20-team tournament with a victory over 15th-seeded Timberline, a team they played at state last year and split a two-set series against earlier this year at a tournament in Olympia.

That win set the table for the third Mt. Spokane-Ridgeline showdown of the season, after the Falcons earned the No. 7 seed.

“We’ve kind of had a Ridgeline block in the past two years,” McMurray said. “They beat us three times last season and they were all legitimate wins. Then they got us again on our senior night in our gym this year.

“That was really hard on our girls, so it was a huge breakthrough to beat them in districts and then play a great game against them in the second round.”

The Wildcats made it two in a row against their GSL foe with a 28-26, 23-25, 25-17, 25-18 victory to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

There waited sixth-seeded Bellevue, who was seeking its second upset in a row after knocking off No. 3 seed Lakes in the second round. But again, the Wildcats delivered with a four-set victory to advance to the title game for the first time since 2019 when they won the title.

“I’ve got five seniors on offense that are such effective hitters. They are our kills leaders and they have had such a gigantic impact on our program,” McMurray said of Neilson, Delaney Davis, Avery Nelson, Abigail Smith and Hannah Meythaler.

The dream run for that group of seniors, along with the rest of the team, would come to an end in the title game though as top-seeded North Thurston swept Mt. Spokane to claim the 3A title after taking second last season to Ridgeline.

“I believe if we had played a bit more like we did in those first three matches, it would have been a closer result for us against North Thurston,” McMurray said. “We just had some breakdowns on both offense and defense, and they’re such a great team that you can’t have those mistakes against them.”

Now the challenge for Mt. Spokane will be replacing the large senior class, but that’s a challenge McMurray is up for.

“I feel like we are going to be fine defensively moving forward,” McMurray said. “But part of being a coach is figuring how to build a program when players leave and I think our staff is ready for that.”

Local pair named All-Tournament MVPs: After helping lead her eighth-seeded Northwest Christian squad to the State 2B title, senior outside hitter Kaitlyn Waters was rewarded by being earning All-Tournament MVP honors.

Waters was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammate Macey Shamblin, while second-place Freeman’s Greta Van Gemert and Avery Berglund, along with Lind-Ritzville-Sprague’s Zoe Galbreath and Saige Galbreath were also honored.

Garfield-Palouse senior middle hitter Elena Flansburg also earned MVP honors on the 1B All-Tournament team after the Vikings won the state title. Garfield-Palouse teammate Kyra Brantner also made the team, along with Oakesdale’s Grace Perry and Almira-Coulee-Hartline’s Grace Okamoto.

Gonzaga Prep setter Noella Migliuri made the 4A All-Tournament team after the Bullpups took fourth place, while Ridgeline junior Ryan Libey made the 3A All-Tournament team along with Mt. Spokane’s Neilson.