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Tornado volleyball ranks with the best By Greg Stiles North Medford is quietly mixing it up with the Mount Hood Conference�s perennial volleyball powers. The Black Tornado moved to the No. 3 in the state rankings after winning a tournament at South Albany earlier this month and reaffirmed its place among the state�s elite by reaching the semifinals of the Clearwater Classic in Bend last Saturday. More importantly, North finally got a shot at the powers that be. "Saturday was the first time that we�ve had a chance to play Barlow or Gresham (this season)," coach Ron Beick says. "We�d certainly like more chances to play them. But the way tournaments are set up, it�s hard to get to the point where you actually play them." Second-ranked Gresham turned back the Tornado 15-3, 15-13, then fell to No. 4 Central Catholic in the finals. Nonetheless, the Tornado figures to build on the setback. "I think Gresham�s serving is a lot more aggressive than ours," says North setter Kaci Maldonado. "That�s one of the things we�ll have to work on in practice, so teams like that don�t have such an easy time setting up their offense." When serves are easily passed near the net, setters can deal to any one of three hitters. Tougher serves reduce those options. Gresham runs a lot of quick attacks, rather than higher sets that give more time to set blocks. "It was harder for our middle blockers to close blocks," Maldonado says. "We saw the things we need to get better at. When we play Barlow or Gresham next time, we�ll be ready for them." That may well be Nov. 10 in the state tournament at the Chiles Center in Portland. The runner-up in the Mount Hood will host a sub-tournament playoff match the previous week with the winner paired with the Southern Oregon Conference champion. "We know exactly what we need to do, and we are certainly capable of beating them," says Beick. "We�re one of the few teams with a legitimate shot at winning it all if things go well." THREE FRIDAY NIGHTS remain in the high school football season, so it�s worth a peek at the playoff horizon. The SOC champion entertains the No. 3 team out of the Portland Interscholastic League, the No. 2 finisher travels to the Valley League runner-up, the SOC�s No. 3 team visits the Three Rivers runner-up and the No. 4 team journeys to the Midwestern League champion. North Medford buckled itself into the driver�s seat, beating Roseburg, 31-0, two weeks ago. But if Ashland were to knock off North on Nov. 3 and leave Ashland, North and Roseburg tied at 6-1, the top three playoff spots would be resolved by a coin toss. "If everything pans out the way it�s on paper it should be a real rip-snorter when Ashland comes over," says Medford School athletic coordinator Bruce Howell. "From Medford�s point of view, if the Black Tornado takes care of business, then it�s a moot point." The PIL is far too scrambled to hazard a guess about what team will finish third and face the SOC winner. If you go with the notion that North Medford runs the table, that puts Roseburg in the No. 2 spot. The Valley League�s haves (McNary, South Albany, South Salem and Sprague, all 5-1) are three games up on the have-nots (five schools are 2-4 and Corvallis is 0-6). Sprague, last year�s state runner-up, has the inside track. The Olympians have played the other three contenders, losing only to South Salem, 23-20, and finishes out against the have-nots. McNary rebounded from a 19-18 season-opening loss to Sprague and has won five straight. The Celtics� last two games are against South Albany and South Salem. South Salem and South Albany have only McNary, among the front-runners, left. But South Albany does play archrival West Albany in its season finale. There are fates worse than finishing No. 3 in the SOC. Three out of the conference�s past seven No. 3 representatives have advanced to the state final, including North Medford�s 1993 championship team. Plus, the Three Rivers League isn�t intimidating outside of Lake Oswego. The SOC�s final playoff entry has frequently journeyed to Coos Bay in recent years to face Marshfield. But after Marshfield stumbled, 21-7, at Sheldon a couple of weeks ago, there�s a possibility Churchill could emerge No. 1. Grants Pass coach Jeff Weiss says win or lose on Oct. 27 against North Medford, the Cavemen will still need to beat South Medford in their season finale to nail down the No. 4 spot. "We�re looking forward to playing North Medford at home," Weiss says. "That�s just the way it plays out." IS HENLEY THAT GOOD , or is Skyline Conference football down this year? "It�s one of those things you don�t know until you get to the playoffs," says Hidden Valley coach Jim Figoni, whose Mustangs were stung 42-0 by Hornets. "I really don�t think it�s a matter of the conference being weak as much as them being very good. They have lots of kids back (from last year�s state quarterfinalist). They�re very athletic and very disciplined. "It�s hard to tell what will come to pass, but I think Henley is one of best in the state. Their execution is flawless, and they have no glaring weaknesses." Henley led Mazama 32-7 at halftime en route to a 42-20 win last Friday and blanked Hidden Valley and Illinois Valley the previous two weeks. Overall, Henley has outscored opponents 249-51. IF ILLINOIS VALLEY WINS two of its final three games, the Cougars will advance to the state playoffs for the first time. The Cougars came close in 1998, tying for third place, but this might be their best shot yet. "We�ve talked to the kids about it," says Illinois Valley coach Perry Sheehan. "The kids don�t bring it up much, they don�t talk themselves up. They realize they haven�t got to where they want to be yet." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.