Colfax bags top card for start of NE playoff

Piper Cai goes up for a block against the Broncos in the Thursday match.

After rolling through the NE league races with 10 straight three-game wins, Colfax volleyball players will travel to Davenport today for the first round of the NE district playoffs which will wind up with three teams advancing on the road to the state tourney at Yakima.

Eight teams will be in the NE district mix with matches today at Reardan and Davenport. The Bulldogs will be matched up against the number-four team from the north side in the second match on the Gorillas’ court.

Colfax finished its league run with a three-game win over Tekoa/Rosalia Tuesday before a large crowd in the home gym. The match had a tinge of history with Coach Sue Doering on the home court for the last time after 30 years of heading the Bulldogs.

Colfax defeated the Timberwolves with the final link in its string of three set wins. That means the Bulldogs took the title with a minimum of 30 sets in the 10-match win campaign.

Line score for Tuesday’s win over the Timberwolves was 25-7 25-8 25-16.

Carmen Gfeller, a four-year player on the Colfax varsity, hit 17 kills and three blocks, and Kylie Kackman had 15 assists. Abbie Miller had seven digs and two aces, and Piper Cai hit seven kills and three aces.

Colfax Thursday downed the LRS Broncos on the home court in three games to run their league record to 9-0. The Broncos jumped out to an early lead, but Colfax kicked into gear and took the win 25-15 25-9 and 25-7. Kackman had 22 assists in that match, and Gfeller hits 13 kills and served five acres.

Saturday on the home court, Colfax swept Pomeroy in a non-league match between SE and NE league leaders. The Bulldogs finished with another sweep, 25-17 25-18 and 25-11.

Coach Sue Doering credited the Pirates with putting up a tough battle against Colfax for all three games.

Gfeller hit 18 kills and had 12 digs against the Pirates, and Kackman had 24 assists. Cai hit nine kills and two blocks, and Miller had 14 digs.

Pomeroy visited after wrapping up the SE 1B league race with a 7-0 record.

Stats vs. Tekoa/Rosalia: Kylie Kackman 16 assists, 11-11 serving with 1 ace; Carmen Gfeller 17 kills, 2-5 serving, 5 digs; Abbie Miller 9-10 w/2 aces, 7 digs; Piper Cai 11-12 w/3, 7 kills; Greta Geier 13-15 w/1, 4 kills 1 block; Madi Cox 7-7 serving; Kierstyn York 8 kills, 1 block; Rachel Brown 2 kills, 2 blocks, Sophie Klaveano 1 kill; Anni Cox 2-2 serving; Skylre Sacamoto-Howell 2-3 serving; Jeszica Durheim 4-1w/1; Kaitlyn Cornish 3-4 w/2.

Stats vs. LRS: Kackman 22 assists, 12-12 serving withe 3 aces, 3 blocks, 2 digs; Miller 11-12 w/3, 3 digs; Cai 8-8 w/1, 4 kills, 2 blocks, 5 digs; Geier 11-12 w/1 7 kills, 3 digs; M. Cox 5-7 w/3, 3 digs; A. Cox 5-6 w/1, 2 digs; Sakamoto-Howell 2-3 w/1, 3 assists; Cornish 1-1 serving.

Hana McMullen books a dig for the Timerbwolves in the last league match Tuesday at Colfax.