Consistency has been its hallmark throughout the past decade.
The Kentwood High volleyball team showed off some of that consistency Nov. 11-12 during the Class 4A state volleyball tournament at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.
Behind strong performances by Erin Campbell, Mikaela Ballou, Tess Manthou and Kacie Seims among others, the Conquerors brought home an eighth-place finish and a trophy from the two-day tournament. The top eight teams in the 16-team tournament earn a trophy. It’s the sixth time in the last seven years Kentwood has earned a trophy at the state tournament.
“I tell these girls, it’s not about winning trophies, but performing at their best,” said Kentwood coach Bil Caillier. “There were moments when the girls played like they were capable of, and times when they didn’t.”
The Conquerors (15-8) started strong, knocking off Mead 25-21 in the opening game of the first match. The Panthers, however, responded by taking the next three games (25-17, 25-21, 25-20) to push the Conquerors into the consolation bracket.
With their backs against the wall, Kentwood fended off Newport (25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-21) and Bellarmine Prep (25-19, 15-25, 25-16, 28-26) in succession. The win over Bellarmine Prep helped the Conquerors assure themselves of a trophy.
“I think (the girls) are satisfied, like they accomplished something,” said Caillier. “I think most of our league looked at us and figured since six or seven seniors graduated that we would be out of the mix.”
The Conquerors showed early on this season that they would not be out of the mix, taking second in the South Puget Sound League North Division by posting a 7-1 record. That resilience continued into the district tournament, where the Conquerors scraped out an eighth-place finish, and thus claiming the tournament’s final berth to state.
After collecting consecutive loser-out victories at state, the Conquerors fell to Snohomish (25-22, 25-22, 25-18).
For the tournament, the Conquerors were led by Ballou (56 kills in the tournament), Campbell (56 kills), Seims (141 assists) and Tess Manthou (62 digs).
Kentwood will graduate just three players from this year’s team: Campbell, Chelsea Grimm and Katie Garlock.
