Bulldog face Ducks to launch bid for title

Abbie Miller serves one up against LRS in the opening match at St. George’s.

Carmen Gfeller puts up a block against the Broncos at St. George’s.

Colfax volleyball team will open its state tournament action at Yakima’s SunDome today against the Toutle Lake Ducks at 11:45 in top bracket competition of the 2B title run. Coach Sue Doering and the Bulldogs departed Wednesday morning for the two-day state campaign after wrapping up another NE run with two match wins in the district finals at St. George’s last Thursday.

Colfax has not missed a state tourney since 1993. Last year they rolled to state in search of a fourth straight 2B title and were derailed by Mossyrock in the quarter-final round.

They wound up finishing in fifth place.

Coach Sue Doering said the Bulldogs faced Toutle earlier this year and posted a win when the Bulldogs rolled to a win in the Okanogan Tournament.

The Colfax-Toutle match in the opening round is in the bracket opposite the Napavine-Tonasket match.

Napavine last year advanced all the way to the state title match and lost to Kalama.

Kalama and Mossyrock are in the bottom bracket of the 2B state grid

Also traveling to Yakima to start action in the Dome today are Liberty and Northwest Christian.

Colfax qualified in the St. George’s round last Thursday with a three-game win over the LRS Broncos, and a four-game win over Northwest Christian in the championship round.

The Crusaders, who topped the NE north division, topped Liberty before facing the Bulldogs.

“It was a pretty tough match. I think we made it a little tougher than it had to be,” Doering noted on the championship round.

In the opener on Thursday, Colfax took out LRS in three straight, 25-12 25-18 and 25-18.

The Broncos had trouble getting started in the first set, but they notched up their play in the second round and actually cracked a 10-9 lead. Colfax came back with a roar and Piper Cai hit a string of serves on the way to the 25-18 edge to extend the Bulldogs run of league sweeps.

Liberty faces Kittitas, and Northwest Christian faces Tri-Cities Prep in the first round today.

Total stats at St. George’s: Kylie Kackman 56 assists, 3 kills 3 blocks, 18 digs; Abbie Miller 26 digs, 22-23 serving with 3 aces; Piper Cai 12 kills, 5 blocks, 9 digs , 35-38 serving with 5 aces; Carmen Gfeller 42 kills, 7 blocks, 22 digs, 30-32 w/3; Greta Geier 16 kills, 3 blocks, 15 digs, 19-24 w/3; Kiersten York 7 kills, 2 blocks, 4 digs; Madi Cox 18-20 w/3, 13 digs; Rachel Brown 5 kills, 3 blocks, 1 digs; Anni Cox 1 dig; Kaitlin Cornish 2 digs, 2-2 serving; Sophie Klaveano 1 block; Taylre Sakamoto-Howell 1 assists, 2-2 serving.