The Bainbridge volleyball team has had its ups and downs this year.
But in order to make a sixth-straight trip to the state tournament, they’ll need to be on the upswing.
Bainbridge lost to Eastside Catholic by the scores of 26-24, 23-25, 21-25, 25-22 and 6-15 in a Metro League quarterfinal tournament game at home Thursday night.
The loss ends their three-year streak of playing for a tournament title.
“It definitely was a game of ups and downs for both sides,” head coach Julie Miller said. “They just wound up being on the upside at the end.
“We played not to lose versus to win, which is what we were talking about earlier, which is play to win,” she continued. “Not to do half shots – go all out. If you’re going to go down, you might as well go big.”
The Crusaders took a 6-3 lead in the first game and held on before Bainbridge tied it at 13 on a block by Kelcey Dunaway.
The Spartans went ahead on two aces by Janna Russell, but Eastside came back to tie it up.
Both teams went through five ties and lead changes before the Crusaders went ahead on two kills.
But Russell scored a big kill on Eastsides’ match point, then the Crusaders put a kill out of bounds, with Russell scoring another kill to put Bainbridge on top.
Heather Schneider scored an ace on match point.
The Crusaders came back to take the next two games on some bad serving from the Spartans (they had 17 missed serves for the match) and the right arm of Ellie Radich, who scored 13 kills.
In the fourth game Bainbridge raced out to a 10-2 lead, but Eastside came back to keep it extremely close.
But they could only close the gap to one, as Dunaway put a kill away on match point.
In the fifth game, the Spartans got out to a 5-0 lead, but the Crusaders went on a 15-1 run to close it out and send Eastside onto the semifinals.
“Any team can beat any other team on any given day,” Dunaway said. “It just so happened that we were playing a little flat and they brought their ‘A’ game. We didn’t go in mentally prepared.”
But the senior co-captain said they won’t fold just yet.
“We’re still going to get the highest seed we can, get to districts and get to state,” she said. “It’s just a different way of getting there.”
Dunaway had 17 kills and 12 digs while Hillary Grant had 25 digs.
Bainbridge plays Nathan Hale today at 1 p.m. at West Seattle High School.
They can finish as high as third and as low as sixth to determine their seeding into the district tournament next week.
Harriers send two to state
ISSAQUAH – When Emily Farrar was asked how she felt after her performance in the 3A Sea-King District 2 cross-country meet, the first four words out of her mouth were words she was waiting to say for a long time.
“I beat Chelsea Burns,” the senior co-captain said with a big smile. “I’ve never done that before in my life.
“I kinda wanted a higher place but I beat her, so it’s all good.”
Farrar beat out Holy Name’s Burns, a longtime rival of hers and former teammate Caroline Johnson, with her eighth place finish of 19:10 – a second faster than Burns’ ninth place finish of 19:11.
Both runners advanced to state on a mostly flat but muddy course at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah Thursday.
Farrar is making her third straight trip to the 3A state meet, but had a tough time with the muck.
“I almost lost a shoe in the mud because it was so slippery,” she said. “It was OK. I could have gone faster, but it happens.”
Also accompanying her to state is Hayley Trageser.
The junior – who is in her first year of cross country – took 15th overall with her time of 19:33.
“I was totally behind on the second mile and my coaches said, ‘If you want to make it to state, you have to push that last mile,” she said. “It’s really exciting. It’s such a surprise since it’s my first year.
“A season of hard work really paid off.”
Head coach Anne Howard-Lindquist was proud of how both Farrar and Trageser did.
“Hayley ran a great race,” she said. “She ran really aggressively to stay up there in that group.
“Emily ran a good race too. She got out there and I was happy to see that she wasn’t doing all the work leading like she normally has to,” she continued. “I thought she ran really smart.”
Annie Taylor took 33rd with her time of 20:28, while Jamie Huggler finished with a time of 22:03.
Zoe Worthington finished with a time of 22:05, while Kristin Cox finished with a time of 22:46.
Molly O’Keefe finished with a time of 23:31.
The girls tied with the Cougars with 189 points, but on the basis of how the team’s sixth runner did, the Spartans took eighth.
Seattle Prep’s Laura Savuage won the individual portion while Lakeside took home the district title.
On the boys’ side, no runners made it to state in a tough field.
Ian Shiach was the boys’ top finisher at 34th with a time of 17:07.
Max Welch took 44th with a time of 17:15 while Willy Wenzlau finished with a time of 18:07.
Josh Larkin finished with a time of 18:14, while Matt Tetlow finished with a time of 18:36.
Dan Thacker finished with a time of 18:42, while Ryan Vogel finished with a time of 18:44.
“The mud was just hellish,” Welch said. “We had nowhere to plant and the traction was just gone.
“So you’re trying to get the best pace and cadence you can because there’s nowhere to accelerate,” he continued. “It’s like driving in the snow.”
“It felt like it should have been faster,” Shiach said, noting that he even wore spikes to combat the mud. “It was tough.”
Despite the conditions, both felt they did all they could.
“We ran our (butts) off,” Welch said.
Skyline’s Simon Sorenson won the individual title while Seattle Prep took home the team title.
Farrar is happy to have another teammate running with her at state.
“I haven’t had another girl there since Caroline left,” she said. “A new redhead. It’ll be fun.”
The two travel to Pasco next Saturday for the 3A state meet at Sun Willows Golf Course.
Kickers sent home for year
The Bainbridge girls soccer team was bumped out of a playoff spot with losses to Lakeside and Seattle Prep.
Against the Lions on Tuesday, the Spartans scored first in the first half when Kristen Saksa put one in at the 11th minute off an assist from Mariko Wolf.
But Lakeside punched three goals to the back of the net in the second half.
Against the Panthers on Thursday, both teams fought through a scoreless first half before Pfeiffer Bloecker scored in the 42nd minute.
Bainbridge finishes with a record of 5-9-2.
Sailors take part in regatta
Bainbridge sailing team captains Emma Hartmann and Max Fleischfresser competed in the Northwest Interscholastic District Single-handed Championship Regatta last weekend for the right to represent the Northwest District at the 2008 Cressy ISSA National Single-Handed Regatta.
Students from eleven schools participated in the regatta, which was held off of Shilshole Marina in Ballard.
Weather was cold and winds ranged from blustery to fairly light over the course of the regatta, with the majority of races sailed in the heavier weather conditions.
Control of the boats was difficult in the gusty conditions, and much energy was spent hiking hard and trying to stay warm.
Many boats spent some time capsized, most of them victims of shifting gusts on the downwind leg which caused “death rolls” ejecting the sailors and turning the boats completely upside down.
The Radial division fleet had 11 boats.
Hartmann finished in fifth place with 55 points.
Fleischfresser, in spite of missing three races due to health reasons, finished a respectable seventh.
Leading the pack was Garfield sailor John Renehan with 10 wins and 23 points. He will sail in the Cressy representing the NWISA on October 27 and 28.
Second place went to rival Josh Larsen of Curtis, with two wins and 44 points.
Erika Vranizan of Seattle was third, earning a win in the last race, and amassing 48 points.
Sam Parrish of Orcas was fourth with one win and 53 points.
Golfers earn all-star nods
With their success this season, both Bainbridge golf teams earned All-Metro honors.
The selections were determined by season and tournament scores.
For the girls, all five were named to the All-Metro team.
Anna Bourland was a first team selection, while Melanie Trygg, Ryan Nottingham, and Peyton Lunzer were second team selections.
Annalise Herr was an honorable mention selection.
For the boys, Kyle Hurt was named to the first team while Sean Leonard and Carl Jonson were second team selections.
