Bottom seeded Trojans place 7th at State Volleyball
by Dennis Rahm
Manson Trojan Volleyball was the surprise team of the 2-B State Tournament as they brought home the seventh place trophy from the 16 team tourney played this week in Yakima. Their accomplishment also earned Manson their 6th consecutive trophy at State.
Manson was seeded 16th into the tournament and, as expected, lost 3-0 to top seed Freeman in their first match on Wednesday, Freeman would ultimately capture the State Championship.
The young Trojan squad regrouped quickly and was able to pull off an upset later Wednesday evening as they defeated #8 seeded Mt. Vernon Christian 3-1. The Trojans came out on top in a match they had to win in order to advance to Thursday play.
Thursday morning found Manson facing yet another loser out match against Newport. Gaining confidence with each outing, the Trojans earned a hard fought 3-2 win over Newport with the win securing them a spot in the trophy round later that afternoon.
The Trojans capped the tournament with their third straight win 3-1 over Toutle Lake to capture 7th place at State. Although not confirmed, many speculated it may have been the first time the lowest seeded team has advanced to the trophy round. Even if not, it is certainly a rare accomplishment.
First year Coach Sarah Wiggum entered the tournament feeling good about her teams chances. The Trojans made vast improvements, especially late in the season, and did not let the opening loss to Freeman linger.
The steady veteran leadership of senior Kailani Cruz was instrumental to what this team would ultimately accomplish. That said, the rest of the key players for Manson are young. 3 freshman, 3 sophomores, and one junior comprised the rest of main contributors.
Congratulations to the Manson Trojans!
