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WALLA WALLA–The third-place Lady Pirates were bumped into the District 9 1B consolation bracket by number two DeSales three sets to zero here Monday, setting up tonight's loser-out showdown with No. 4 Prescott on the home volleyball court at 6 p.m. The Lady Pirates split their final two regular-season matches to clinch third seed in the playoffs, losing to St. John-Endicott/LaCrosse then beating Tekoa-Rosalia in five sets.
A win over the Lady Tigers will send the Lady Buccaneers to the final round at Dayton High School on Saturday, November 4, where they'll face the loser of the second-round match between No. 1 Liberty Christian and No. 2 SJEL.
In other first-round play, Liberty Christian downed No. 4 Garfield-Palouse 3-1 and SJEL beat Sunnyside Christian in three sets. No. 1 Oakesdale won 3-0 over the Lady Tigers.
Last week SJEL won 25-13, 25-5, 20-25, 25-18. "We dropped the first two games before finding a groove and taking game three," said Head Coach Adam Van Vogt. "They came back to win game four in a game where we stayed close and they pulled away late.
"Even though we lost I was happy with the way we played," Van Vogt said, because three of the four sets we played were closer than any sets when the teams faced each other earlier in the season, "showing how much we've improved in the last month-and-a-half," he said.
Earlier in the season, Pomeroy needed five sets to beat Tekoa-Rosalia, and it was true again, the Lady Bucs winning 25-20, 18-25, 12-25, 25-15, 15-4.
"This was our sixth game five of the season in 15 matches!" Van Vogt said. "Haven Kimble, Taylor Gilbert, and Hannah Bagby all had great serving runs and put pressure on them.
"When T-R got the ball back over we kept our composure and made plays to give us the win," the coach said. "I think we put some pressure on ourselves early with it being senior night but I give our girls a lot of credit in that they overcame the deficit and found a way to play well again."
Pomeroy v. Tekoa-Rosalia (10/26)
Pomeroy wins 25-20, 18-25, 12-25, 25-15, 15-4.
Stat Leaders: Haliee Brewer-12 kills, 11 digs, 2 aces on 15/15 serving. Hannah Bagby-6 kills, 6 digs, and 5 aces on 15/16 serving. Taylor Gilbert-14 kills, 7 digs, and 3 aces on 8/9 serving. Haven Kimble-25 assists and 7 aces on 25/26 serving.
Pomeroy v. SJEL (10-24)
SJE wins 25-13, 25-5, 20-25, 25-18
Stat Leaders: Haliee Brewer-4 kills and 3 digs. Hannah Bagby-5 digs, 3 blocks, and 2 kills. Taylor Gilbert-5 kills and 4 digs.