Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Hailey spikers 4-2-2 at Borah Invite

Great Basin tourney starts Monday


They keep swinging away at a highly competitive level, but the Wood River High School varsity volleyball team (13-9-2, 3-2 league) is still learning how to finish off its matches in 2007.

Wood River, on the verge of making a breakthrough, had a distinct sensation of "close but no cigar" Friday and Saturday during the two-day, 21-team Borah Invitational tourney at Mountain View High Meridian.

Led by the outstanding play of senior co-captains Hannah Ward and Hannah Gove, Wood River went 4-2-2 in its eight matches—losing close matches to a pair of potential state tournament contenders, Boise High and Skyview of Nampa.

Highland of Pocatello defeated #5-ranked 5A Boise in Saturday's championship match. Wood River coach Tim Richards said, "We played with Boise, we played with 5A schools. Hopefully it will transfer into our league matches."

Wood River led in every game it ended up losing at the prestigious Borah tournament, Richards said. "We had our chances to win. We just couldn't finish," he said.

The Wolverines went 4-0-2 in Friday's pool play, earning a third seed behind Timberline and Mountain View entering Saturday's bracket play.

Wood River defeated Bishop Manogue of Reno (Nev.) 25-15, 25-12 and also won two other matches on the total points tiebreaker—25-16, 18-25 over Timberline and 25-14, 19-25 over Kuna. The Hailey girls split with Caldwell 25-23, 23-25 and Mountain View 26-24, 23-25.

After the Kuna match Richards inserted Carly Ballantyne as libero and the senior did very well in that position for the rest of the tournament.

Wood River Invitational champion Boise trailed Wood River in both games Saturday, but Boise pulled out a 25-23, 25-21 win. The Wolverines defeated Columbia 25-9, 25-17 in consolation play before exiting with a 18-25, 25-18, 15-13 loss to top-ranked 4A school Skyview.

On Tuesday, #2-seeded Wood River visited top-seeded Great Basin regular-season champion Burley (9-6, 5-0 league) trying to avenge a five-game home loss to the Bobcats Sept. 18.

The Wolverines have their "Senior Night" Thursday, Oct. 11 in Hailey against 2006 State 5A runner-up Skyline of Idaho Falls. Then Wood River clashes with #3-seeded Jerome (8-7, 3-3) Monday, Oct. 15 in the Great Basin tournament first round at Burley. Burley opens against #4-seeded Minico (1-10, 0-6).




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