Rainier defeated Toledo two games to none to claim the Central 2B League’s ninth and final seed in the 2B District 4 volleyball tournament.
The Mountaineers had won a coin toss over Toledo and Morton-White Pass, which pitted the Riverhawks and Timberwolves against each other in the first-round of the pigtail. In a best out of three, the Riverhawks defeated MWP 25-20 and 25-18 to face Rainier in the district play-in match.
Rainier then reeled off two consecutive victories, 25-20, 25-13, to defeat Toledo and claim the playoff spot. It was a rewarding payoff for a 4-13 Mountaineers’ squad.
“I told the girls we have a shot at a whole new season this week at practice,” Rainier coach Shauna Carpenter said. “And we changed a few things and picked up the intensity at practice. They took it to heart and played extremely well.”
Natasha Wood led the attack for Rainier with five kills, while Janess Blackburn registered 12 blocks, with four for points and Ilanys Osorio served 20 points. Olivia Earsley, Brooklyn Swenson and libero Lilly Ramahlo flew in the back row and accounted for 75% of the Mountaineers’ digs.
The prize Rainier gets for winning the play-in game is a first-round matchup against C2BL champion Kalama at 11:30 a.m. in Kalama in the double-elimination district tournament.
