2A Prep Volleyball: Mark Morris, R.A. Long, Woodland all advance on District Day 1

Packed House — Monarchs, Jills and Beavers get resilient in the clutch

Mark Morris’ Aliyah Yaple puts a big swing on the ball at the net during a playoff match at Woodland High School on Thursday, Oct. 31. One week later, the Monarchs returned to Woodland and defeated Aberdeen to advance to the District semifinal. R.A. Long and Woodland also managed to stay alive during district tournament play. — Skyler Smith / Framed Photography

Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com

WOODLAND — The Beaver Den was a cocktail of emotions Thursday night with Day 1 of the 2A District IV Volleyball Tournament in full swing in the gymnasiums of Woodland High School. Those matches had eight teams and their traveling entourages spread between the main gym and the cinder block auxiliary bunker down the hall, and the results were as disparate as those two environments with some teams breathing easy and comfortable all the way through while others quite literally had their backs to the wall and their seasons on the line.

After six hours of back and forth all three teams from the Blast Zone managed to advance to the final day of the tournament on Saturday, back within the confines of the Beavers’ den. Mark Morris was the only area team to emerge unscathed in the opening rounds, while R.A. Long and Woodland had to fend off elimination to survive until the weekend.

Monarchs flip the script on Aberdeen

The Mark Morris Monarchs come together for a team huddle during a playoff match at Woodland High School on Thursday, Oct. 31. One week later the Monarchs returned to Woodland, where they defeated Aberdeen in five sets to reach the District semifinal. — Skyler Smith / Framed Photography

While Mark Morris was the only area team to win once and go home on Thursday, it was not a quick or easy match by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the Monarchs dropped the first two sets and had fans of all stripes heading for the concession stand for some fresh air after a sour start in the side gym.

But Mark Morris managed to get right on the court while onlookers stretched their legs and came back to win in five sets by scores of 20-25, 17-25, 25-17, 25-11 and 15-6. The victory sends the Monarchs to the District semifinals where they will play for a spot in the state tournament.

So what changed for Mark Morris while their fans were getting hot dogs? 

“I had to light a little fire,” MM coach Carmen Hewitt explained. “I told them we’ve got to stop making errors, and unless we clean it up we’re going home tonight. And they responded.”