SUPER CHARGERS

State tournament ticket? Punched. NE1B League championship? Won. Springdale’s dominant season continues as the Chargers notched three consecutive wins over three days to win the NE1B League title. And they aren’t done. The Chargers now sit at 21-2 on the season and opened tournament play Thursday, Oct. 29, with straight-set victories over Inchelium and Wilbur-Creston-Keller on their home court in Springdale. The semifinal victory over Wilbur-Creston-Keller secured a berth in the state tournament. Springdale then traveled to Wellpinit on Saturday, Oct. 31, where the Chargers defeated Valley Christian in four sets to claim the league championship.

The Valley Christian team had handed them a loss earlier in the season. “It was extremely satisfying to beat both of those teams,” Springdale Head Coach Matt Gines said. “I didn’t feel like we should have lost to them during the regular season, however, when WCK beat us they played a tremendous game as did VC.” Gines said feels like his team had the talent to be unbeatable and said some adjustments to their lineup and rotations, along with a bigger focus on defense made them even tougher in the postseason tournament. Gines said he didn’t feel his team played to its full potential against Valley Christian, but that their opponents played very well.

A scary thought for teams playing them in the state tournament, because Valley Christian looked every bit a state power against the Chargers. Senior Kaylin Gines led the way throughout the tournament, delivering three outstanding offensive performances, including 27 kills in the championship match. Springdale wasted little time establishing control in its tournament opener against Inchelium, sweeping the Hornets 25-3, 25-11, and 25-7. Gines led Springdale’s offensive attack with 14 kills on 16 attempts without an attack error, finishing with an impressive .875 hitting percentage. Senior Kazlin Rainer contributed nine kills and four blocks, while sophomore McKinley Schroeder added two kills and four service aces.

“McKinley has really come on and became a very consistent contributor,” Gines said. “She is so quick and plays defense very well, but lately, her offensive game has really took off. She really understands how to be aggressive and stay aggressive.” Sophomore Kamryn Cloninger was outstanding from the service line, recording six aces, while senior Ashlynn-Mae Ford directed the offense with 18 assists. “Ashlynn and Kamryn have really learned what it means to be mentally tough as setters,” Gines said. “They both give everything they have and do a great job of staying positive and playing their roles to the best of their ability.” With a state tournament berth on the line, Springdale continued its winning ways in the semifinals against Wilbur-Creston-Keller. The Chargers swept the Wildcats 25-15, 25-21, and 25- 18 to punch their ticket to Yakima and advance to the Saturday, Oct. 31, league title match. Gines once again led Springdale’s offense, recording 17 kills while adding 12 digs and four service aces. Schroeder delivered another strong performance with 10 kills and a team-high 15 digs, while Rainer contributed five kills and five blocks. Ford recorded 19 assists and 10 digs, and senior Trinity Farnsworth added six digs. “Trinity has also stepped up this year and may be one of our most consistent players both in serve receive and on the net as a middle,” Gines said. “She understands her role and gives everything she has and makes such good decisions for us.

Junior Emily Small contributed nine digs, while Cloninger finished with six digs and five assists. “McKinley and Emily have improved so much as the season has gone on and are major contributors,” Gines said. Emily has been an anchor defensively and has worked so hard to really play the libero position the way that it is supposed to be played.” Springdale faced Valley Christian in Saturday’s championship match in Wellpinit, where the Chargers were pushed through four sets before emerging with a 25-20, 22-25, 25-21, and 25-23 victory.

After taking the opening set, Springdale saw Valley Christian respond with a 25-22 win in the second to even the match. The Chargers regained control with a 25-21 victory in the third set. Valley Christian took a commanding lead in the fourth set, but Springdale refused to go away, and eventually clawed back to win 25-23. “When they had the lead in the fourth set, I was just thinking that I did not want to go to a felt,” Gines said. “I felt confident that we could battle back especially given what rotation we were in. The difference was that we locked in and played better defensively down the stretch.”

Gines delivered her biggest offensive performance of the tournament, finishing with 27 kills on 60 attacks. She also recorded a team-high 22 digs and three service aces, contributing on both sides of the ball. During the matchup she appeared to have suffered a serious ankle injury, but continued playing through the pain despite the occasional sign of a hobble. “She came down on the foot of the blocker and rolled her ankle,” Gines said. “It was not a terrible sprain and should heal a bit quicker. She is extremely tough and I think finished the game on adrenaline. She was in a lot of pain at the end and is working hard to rehab for Thursday.” Gines notched 14 more kills after her injury, which proved absolutely crucial along with balanced play from her teammates for the fourth set victory. Gines felt pain every time she landed during a kill atempt.

“I was a bit worried about Kaylin’s ankle and if she was going to be able to make it to the end as she was in a lot of pain,” Matt Gines said. “I told the girls that once we got within 1, the pressure was on them and that would lead to unforced errors and then we could take the lead and finish.” Schroeder added 11 kills and 19 digs, and Rainer finished with five kills and two service aces. “Kazlin has been one of our leaders and intimidators over her three years,” Gines said. “She has really focused in on her blocking again and it has made a difference as of late. She really impact the game and what the other team wants to do.”

Ford contributed five kills, 20 assists, 12 digs, and four service aces, providing a balanced performance in the championship victory. Cloninger added 13 assists and 12 digs, while Small played a significant defensive role with 21 digs. “I cannot be more proud of this group,” Matt Gines said. “I truly love this team. They never get down, they never feel like they can’t win... when comparing this team to last year, they really made a conscious effort to come together and play for each other and do what ever it takes for the team to be successful. They didn’t always have that last year. The chemistry this year is night and day different from last year and it shows.” Valley Christian was evenly matched with the Chargers causing back and forth volleys, but the Springdale defense held, combining for 99 digs.

Springdale also recorded 12 service aces, while Valley Christian’s only apparent weakness was the occasional ball in the net. Springdale was much more consistent from the service stripe and had several aces, including four from Ford, three from Gines, and two each from Rainer and Farnsworth. The upcoming district tournament will just set up seeding for regional 1B volleyball teams. The Chargers will face Pomeroy at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6. State will be on Nov. 11- 12.

It’s the sixth straight year that Springdale has made the state tournament. Gines feels that this might be the best volleyball team Springdale has seen. “I believe that this is the best overall team that I have had, however, the 2022 team was close,” Gines said. “What sets this team above the rest is their resilience, their belief, the work that they have put in and attitude they bring each and every day. This so far has been the best season in school history and this group of girls are special in that they are un- selfish and have made this season so much fun. We feel very good about both districts and state. We believe that we are the best team at districts and feel very confident leading up to State. We are excited.”