Pushed to the limit, Wolverine spikers respond

District tourney ends Wednesday tonight, State on the line

They’re playing the Fourth District A-2 volleyball tournament this week at Wood River High School gym in Hailey, but the top-seeded host Wolverines might have played their toughest match of the season last Thursday against the Buhl Tribe.

Wood River’s seniors, saluted in an emotional pre-match "Senior Night" presentation by their coach Reamy Goodwin, took some time to get their act into gear and were pushed to the limit by a vastly-improved Buhl squad. "Buhl played a great match," said Goodwin.

Indeed, Buhl had triple matchpoint in the third and deciding game before Wood River rallied and got its final service points from sophomore Emily Leatham. Wood River survived 8-15, 15-5, 16-14 to complete an unblemished 10-0 Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference campaign.

Senior outside hitter Kristyn Price led Wood River’s attack with 19 kills and senior co-captain Jill Brown added 6 kills. Senior setter Jamie Menges had 38 assists.

"When it comes time, we seem to get it done," said Goodwin, whose team dug a deep hole in the first game then fell behind in the third. "We sided out seven or eight times between the time when it was 14-11 in the third game and when we won the match. Buhl’s middle, Erin Scott and Kalinda Brown, really killed us. It was a great match for both teams."

It was Wood River’s 18th consecutive volleyball triumph over Buhl, but the first time the Tribe has taken the Wolverines to three games since 1993. In the previous 17 Wood River wins, Hailey was 28-0 in games and had outpointed the Tribe 415-172. Buhl last beat Wood River at the district tournament in 1992.

Tournament opener

Wood River (28-6, 10-1 home) opened its state tournament quest with a 15-10, 15-5 win over the #5-seeded Gooding Senators Monday as the six-team district tournament got underway on the Hailey hardwoods.

Ninth-year Wolverine coach Goodwin (223-115) said, "We played fair. I’m waiting for everyone to get on the same page and have good games at the same time in the same match."

Later, #2-seeded Filer rallied past Buhl 9-15, 15-12, 15-11 to earn a shot at Wood River in Tuesday’s semi-final. The championship match is tonight, Wednesday about 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the State A-2 tournament Oct. 30-31 at Twin Falls High School.

In Hailey tonight, 1997 state tournament runner-up Wood River (157-49 over five years) will be shooting for its fifth consecutive 30-win season and the 15th state tournament berth in school history.

The honor of district champion is a mixed blessing this year. That’s because the Fourth District winner has drawn the Fifth District champion for its opening state tournament match at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 30. And that is likely to be defending state champion Bear Lake—perhaps the toughest team in the entire state.

Bear Lake handed Wood River its only home loss this fall, 15-3, 15-9.

Tonight’s tournament runner-up faces a state-qualifying playoff Saturday in Twin Falls against the Fifth District runner-up, likely Preston.

WOLVERINE NOTES—Since Kristyn Price joined the Wood River varsity in 1994, the varsity record is 127-29, Goodwin noted in an informational sheet of his team’s accomplishments that was passed out with programs on "Senior Night."

"Never has the school seen a class that has dominated a game like this one has," wrote Goodwin about his seven seniors.