YAKIMA — The Lynnwood and Lake Stevens high school volleyball teams are returning from the Yakima Valley SunDome with hardware for the display case.
Lynnwood achieved a new program benchmark by taking third in the Class 3A state tournament Saturday. Lake Stevens added to its recent run of success by placing fourth in 4A for its fifth consecutive state trophy.
After surviving a pair of five-set battles on the tournament’s first day, the Royals, seeded second in 3A, dropped their semifinal matchup 25-19, 25-17, 26-28, 25-16 against third-seeded Mead. But Lynnwood (23-1) answered back with a strong showing and swept top-seeded North Thurston 25-20, 25-19, 27-25 to secure the third-place trophy and its best-ever finish at the state tournament. The Royals’ previous top finish was seventh in 2003.
Lake Stevens was the only lower-seeded team to win games in the championship bracket at the 4A tournament. After upset wins in the first two rounds Friday, the 10th-seeded Vikings (17-7) pushed third-seeded Wenatchee in the semifinals but fell 25-16, 25-17, 21-25, 26-24. Lake Stevens then dropped a tight 25-13, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22 contest with top-seeded Olympia in the third/fourth-place game. The fourth-place trophy adds to two second-place finishes and two-seventh place finishes since 2018.
Shorewood (19-5) opened the day with a chance to reach the fifth/sixth-place game in the 3A tournament, but the 11th-seeded Stormrays fell 25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 25-16 to 10th-seeded Mt. Spokane in a consolation bracket elimination game.
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