Lady Braves mine bronze at State net tourney

Another Yakima trip, another State volleyball trophy to display.

The La Conner High Lady Braves, coming off a dramatic State runner-up finish a year ago, placed third in arguably an even tougher 2B tourney field at the Sun Dome last weekend.

La Conner, in fact, had to show its mettle to win this latest State medal.

The Lady Braves, 20-2, survived a marathon opening day with twin five-set triumphs over Toutle Lake and Dayton before finishing strong in the bronze medal match opposite Napavine — in another tense clash that went the distance — on Saturday.

In between, La Conner suffered its lone loss of the weekend, a tight three-setter to Kalama, which was third at 1A in 2015 before dropping down to 2B this fall.

“I’m so incredibly proud of this 2016 team,” La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble, a State Hall of Famer, told La Conner Weekly News on Sunday. “They worked so hard to get back to State and to place third. What an amazing group of young women.”

That group prevailed Friday in a two hour-plus match with Toutle Lake and an equally long contest that night against Dayton.

Justine Benson ignited the La Conner attack in the Toutle Lake match with 32 assists to go along with five kills and four service aces.

Prime beneficiaries of Benson’s passing were Matty Lagerwey and Aubrey Swigert. Lagerwey recorded a team-high 17 kills. Swigert added another 10.

They each showed their versatility by finishing with double-digit digs as well. Lagerwey had 20; Swigert 14.

Libero Sage Burgmeier paced the La Conner defense with 27 digs. She likewise excelled on serve receive, handling 24 of 25 chances.

Ashley Watkins, meanwhile, filled the stat sheet with 20 digs and four blocks and was 32-of-34 on serve receive.

The final line score was 25-11, 25-21, 13-25, 18-25, 15-13.

The Lady Braves showed poise under pressure in the fifth set, having let go their early 2-0 advantage.

“We came out strong in sets one and two,” allowed Marble, “and then got comfortable and gave Toutle Lake the edge, and we lost a little confidence in the third set.”

But the Lady Braves managed to regroup when it counted.

“To rebound in set five after getting beat in sets three and four says a lot about this team’s determination and drive,” Marble said.

That drive and determination was called upon against a scrappy Dayton team.

That match started an hour behind schedule and lasted until nearly 11:30 Friday night. The two sides alternated set victories, with the Lady Braves winning the decisive fifth frame by a 15-12 margin.

Marble called it a complete team victory.

“We played from behind a lot of the match but pushed through when things got tough.”

Benson dished off 37 assists while delivering three aces and two kills.

Lindsay Lowry posted five kills and two blocks.

Swigert finished with 17 digs, 11 kills, and four blocks.

Jayna Whited contributed seven kills and three aces.

Lagerwey ended up with 17 digs, seven kills, three blocks, and two aces.

Watkins enjoyed another solid outing with 15 kills, 25 digs, and a pair of aces.

Burgmeier went 32-of-34 on serve receive and had 24 digs.

Though La Conner fell 3-0 to Kalama in the semifinals, each set was contested. The Lady Braves fell 21-25, 22-25, 21-25.

“They had three solid hitters who could put the ball away,” Marble lamented. “We made way too many unforced errors, which really hurt us. Defense was tough for us as their hitters were strong and smart.”

Lagerwey led La Conner in a rare losing effort with eight kills, 13 digs, two blocks, and a perfect 11-of-11 from behind the stripe, including an ace.

The Lady Braves recovered quickly, however.

La Conner edged Napavine 27-25, 25-27, 25-21, 23-25, 15-10 in a match that, in terms of time, didn’t go quickly.

“It was another two hour-plus match,” said Marble, “but, honestly, the fans definitely got their money’s worth.”

Benson helped La Conner cash in with 53 assists, four blocks, two kills, and a perfect 23-of-23 day serving. Four of her serves went for aces.

“She really led the offense in this match,” Marble said of Benson.

That offense saw five other players — Lowry, Swigert, Whited, Lagerwey, and Watkins — ring up kills.

“Jayna,” said Marble, “was a true leader and force with us.”

In addition to her 10 kills, Whited finished with 11 digs. She joined Burgmeier in double figure (10) digs.

Lowry was a perfect 24-of-24 serving, while Swigert chipped in 15 digs and five blocks to complement her six kills.

Lagerwey had 31 digs, 17 kills, and four blocks.

Watkins served flawlessly on nine attempts and aided the La Conner cause with nine digs, eight kills, and three blocks.

In the end, it was just enough to ward off a tough Napavine squad.

“I was so incredibly proud of the way our team battled and never gave up,” Marble said of her club’s third place effort at Yakima. “Our seniors truly led by example this year, and I couldn’t be more proud.”