MILL CREEK — The Lake Stevens High School volleyball team may not have won the battle Saturday afternoon, but they put in the type of performance that suggests they have a chance in the war.
Lake Stevens matched North Creek point for point, but ultimately the Vikings fell just short, falling 20-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-17, 15-10 to the Jaguars in the Class 4A District 1/2 tournament championship match at Jackson High School.
But while the Vikings (15-5) may not be bringing home a district championship trophy, going toe-to-toe with one of the state favorites — especially considering Lake Stevens was swept by the Jaguars (21-1) at the start of the season — is a positive sign for making waves at state.
“That was a tough match,” Lake Stevens coach Kyle Hoglund said. “It was a hard-fought game between two competitive teams and it went down to the wire. It was a pretty high level, both teams played well, both teams fought to the end, both teams swung hard. There was no let-up.”
Laura Eichert put in overtime for the Vikings, as the star sophomore outside hitter took swing after swing, powering down 32 kills as she carried Lake Stevens’ offense.
But North Creek’s towering outside duo of seniors Quincy Moran (20 kills) and Madyn Cervellera (19 kills) had the final say, as they came up with the plays that proved the difference in the final two sets of the match.
“I think we played pretty well,” said Eichert, who added that it was likely the most swings she’d taken in a match this season. “It came down to the last few points, but overall we played pretty well.
“Potentially, I think it means we can do really great things (at state) and we can go really far,” Eichert added. “If we keep playing like this and keep playing at this level — and we can play higher than this, too — we’ll keep getting better.”
Saturday’s match was a slugfest as the teams, both of which had already qualified for next weekend’s state tournament in Yakima and neither of which had dropped a set at district, threw bombs at one another. In addition to Eichert, Jayci Scrivens had 12 kills for Lake Stevens, while Olivia Gonzales provided clutch serving off the bench with five aces. Katelyn Eichert made the offense tick with 36 assists, and Alyss Kelly marshaled the defense with 22 digs.
Lake Stevens’ Alyss Kelly makes a diving save against North Creek during the Wesco 4A district 1/2 championship match Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The teams were dead even through the first two sets when Laura Eichert took over in the third. She accounted for nine points in the set with seven kills, a block and an ace, and she ran off a string of four straight kills as the Vikings went on a five-point run to build an 18-12 lead. That lead held up the rest of the way as Lake Stevens put itself one set away from the title.
But North Creek responded in the fourth. With the score tied 13-13, the Jaguars took eight of the next nine points to grab control. Moran, who at 6-foot-1 was able to hit over the Lake Stevens block, found her groove during that stretch as North Creek moved her around the court to score from different positions, and the match came down to a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth both teams tensed up a bit as unforced errors crept into play. Lake Stevens was particularly afflicted by net violations as North Creek grabbed a 12-7 lead. Kills by Scrivens and Laura Eichert helped the Vikings pull within 12-10, but Cervellera’s kill stopped Lake Stevens’ momentum, and the Jaguars took the final three points to claim the championship.
Lake Stevens, which lost in the state championship match last year, wasn’t expected to be a top contender this season after graduating a slew of key performers from last season’s team. But Saturday’s effort gives the Vikings some hope headed into state.
“The biggest difference (between Saturday’s match against North Creek and the early-season sweep) is the fact we learned,” Hoglund said. “At the beginning of the year we basically had six players who never played varsity volleyball. We learned a lot about ourselves over the course of the year and matured.
“North Creek has as solid a chance as any of the teams out there to be a state contender, and we matched them fairly well all the way to the end. So anything can happen.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
Gallery
