Document text
North takes home fifth place at tournament WEST LINN - North Medford, Ashland and South Medford were exposed to some of the top prep volleyball squads in the state Saturday at the 24-team West Linn Varsity Tournament. North Medford fared the best with a fifth-place overall finish in the event that included No. 1-ranked Gresham and No. 2 Barlow. After defeating Sprague and Estacada and losing to Centennial in pool play, the Black Tornado qualified for the top Gold Division in the single-elimination championship round. Eight teams were placed in three divisions for bracket play. South Medford and Ashland were both seeded in the second-highest Silver Division. In the first round, Barlow eliminated North Medford, 15-1, 13-15, 15-13. "We played great in the second and third games," North Medford coach Ron Beick said. "Overall, it was a good match for us. We made some good strides." The Black Tornado led 13-10 in the third game but missed a key serve in rally scoring. "That was definitely a momentum shift," Beick said. North received strong net play from Chaley Higgins (9 kills) and Amy Bakker (7 kills). Senior setter Candace Fleener distributed 31 assists. Ashland finished second in its pool with a victory over Thurston (17-15, 15-9) and losses to Central Catholic (15-10, 17-15) and Lakeridge (11-15, 15-12, 17-15). The Grizzlies lost to Centennial in the bracket, 15-11, 15-7, to tie for 13th in the tournament. South Medford also qualified second in its pool with wins over Marist (10-15, 15-13, 15-8) and Wilsonville (15-10, 15-10) and a loss to South Salem (15-12, 15-9.). SOUTH EUGENE TOURNAMENT - At Eugene, Grants Pass finished second in its pool and sixth in tournament play. The Cavers beat North Eugene (15-6, 15-10), split with Redmond (16-17, 15-13), split with South Eugene (15-11, 8-15), lost to Churchill (2-15, 5-15) and fell to Eagle Point in the fifth-place match (10-15, 15-11, 8-15). Senior outside hitter Ally Codington recorded nine kills and 10 digs against Eagle Point, and junior outside hitter Ashley Bellum slammed eight kills and made six digs. Codington added 10 kills against South Eugene, and junior outside hitter Clair Highfield served four aces against Redmond and six against North Eugene. LAKEVIEW TALLMAN TOURNAMENT - At Lakeview, defending Class 3A state champion Lakeview defeated St. Mary's in the tournament finals 15-3, 15-10. Jess Childreth and Megan Albertson combined for 13 kills against the Crusaders. In the second game, St. Mary's trailed 12-6 when Kristina Easton served four straight points to pull the Crusaders to 12-10. In pool play of the six-team event, St. Mary's defeated Mazama, 15-2, 15-1, then lost to Lakeview, 15-4, 15-4. St. Mary's reached the finals by defeating LaPine (15-6, 15-2) and Modoc, Calif., (15-10, 15-9) in bracket action. St. Mary's junior middle Christina Vaninetti recorded 11 kills against Modoc. Vaninetti and sophomore outside hitter Chrissy Seus of St. Mary's were chosen to the all-tournament team along with Childreth, Albertson and Francis Hartman of Lakeview and Serena Newman of Bonanza. In a Skyline Conference match that was played concurrently with the tournament, Lakeview downed Mazama 15-3, 15-1. Lakeview improved to 3-0 in conference and 11-0 overall. SHERMAN VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT - At Moro, Cascade Christian won five straight matches, including a 15-10, 15-9 victory over Culver in the championship match. The Challengers were led by 27 assists from senior setter Whitney Brookins, a co-captain, in the finals. Senior outside hitter Krystle Holtz, the other co-captain, contributed four kills, and senior middle Kristin Salamone and junior middle Kayleen Conley were the primary forces in a strong blocking display. In pool play, Cascade Christian cruised past Sherman, Wheeler, Union and Elgin. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.