Reflecting on Chelan's Volleyball Championship - Lake Chelan News and Information

Lady Goats Deliver Epic Comeback in Yakima

by Dennis Rahm; photos by Jenna Rahm. Scroll down for photo gallery and links to play-by-play broadcasts and video snippets

Less than a week ago the Chelan Volleyball team traveled to Yakima as one of 16 schools that would vie for the 1A WIAA State Championship to be played at the SunDome. The Lady Goats’ team was ranked number one in the Coaches poll and had already defeated four of the other teams who would qualify for state tourney play.

Chelan opened the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Zillah in the opening round and responded nicely after dropping the second set of the match 22-25. Chelan had won the opening set 25-14 and then closed out the match with 25-16 and 25-6 wins in sets three and four. Junior Katie Rainville led the way with 16 kills and six blocks while junior Elly Collins contributed 15 kills. Senior Leanna Garfoot produced 48 assists, 13/13 serving and three aces. Sophomore Morgyn Harrison had a team high 2 digs and was a perfect 29/29 serving. CTL Player of the Year Emma McClaren was solid in all facets of the game with 10 kills, 21 digs and 10/10 serving.

The win over Zillah advanced Chelan into a quarter-final contest against 4^th ranked and defending champion Lynden Christian. The Lyncs were the team that derailed Chelan’s title hopes last year and the Lady Goats were looking forward to a different result this time around. While the Lyncs were tall and talented, Chelan was able to win the set 3-0 and earn a trip to the semi-finals. The scores were 28-26, 25-17 and 25-18. Against Lynden Christian, McClaren led the way with 19 kills, Collins had 14 kills, Rainville 5 blocks, Harrison 20 digs, and Garfoot 48 assists.

The semi-final match for Chelan would pit them against a familiar opponent in #7 ranked Freeman. Chelan had defeated the Scotties 3-0 earlier in the season and a repeat here would land the Lady Goats in the State Championship. Although Chelan wins the match 3-1, it didn’t come easily. Chelan took the first two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-20. In the third set Freeman showed grit in outscoring Chelan 26-24. Chelan again showed no panic and closed out the contest with a 25-21 win in the deciding fourth set. In this match McClaren came up big with 20 kills and 22 digs, while Collins chipped in with 16 kills and Rainville with 13 kills and four blocks. Garfoot was also strong in this contest with 52 assists and 12/12 serving.

Three matches and three wins advanced Chelan to the State Championship to face #2 ranked Kings featuring one of the top players in the state in Alli Hanson. It was all Kings in the early going as they had Chelan on the ropes by winning the first two sets by scores of 27-25 and 25-16.

When seemingly on the doorstep of defeat, Coach Jennifer Rainville told her team after the second set “you have nothing to lose, just go out and swing” and the players respond to those words of encouragement.

The Lady Goats headed to set number three knowing they would have to pull out a win, or their hopes of a state title would slip away. Talk about an unbelievable comeback, Chelan gutted out a 25-22 third set win and then made things interesting by once again refusing to back down in taking the fourth set 25-21. The state championship would now come down to one exhilarating final abbreviated set. The atmosphere in the SunDome was electric and the Chelan crowd was large and vocal. Kings led 10-8 before Chelan came back to tie things up at 10-10. There was another tie at 11 and then Chelan scored two consecutive points to jump up 13-11. Kings wasn’t done however and would run off three straight points to lead 14-13 with the match point serve awaiting. Elly Collins then came through with a clutch kill shot to even things up and the Lady Goats then scored the next point to lead 15-14 with their own match point serve opportunity, but Kings responded this time with a score to force yet another tie. Chelan would then take the lead 16-15 and finally with another match point opportunity, the Lady Goats come through with a Rainville kill shot that gives Chelan the victory and sends a throng of CHS fans storming onto the floor in jubilation.

An epic comeback had been completed and the gold volleyball trophy for 2019 would be headed back to Chelan where it will take up residence in the trophy case near the other volleyball state championship trophy that was won in 2010.

Here’s a look at some of the four-match tourney stats:

Kills: Emma McClaren 69, Elly Collins 64, Katie Rainville 45, Olivia Strandberg 27.
Serving: Leanna Garfoot 46/46, Morgyn Harrison 69/71, Elly Collins 59/61, Emma McClaren 51/55, Olivia Strandberg 59/62.
Digs: Morgyn Harrison 88, Emma McClaren 65, Elly Collins 58.
Assists: Leanna Garfoot 198.
Blocks: Katie Rainville 21, AJ Gueller 7.

Chelan will graduate three outstanding seniors in Emma McClaren, Leanna Garfoot and Casey Simpson. However, they will also return a lot of talent including three first team all-league selections in Katie Rainville, Elly Collins and Morgyn Harrison in addition to second team all-league picks AJ Gueller and Olivia Strandberg. The volleyball future of continues to burn bright.

Snippets of video are available on the LCN Facebook page (we aren’t allowed to film the entire match). Scroll through our Facebook postings to watch video of the victory parade and the final minutes of several sets throughout the tournament.

LCN live broadcasts are posted below. Just click on the link to relive the action with courtside play-by-play.