Liberty volleyball sweeps Blanchet, heads back to state tournament

It was deja-vu all over again for the Liberty Patriots volleyball team as they reached the state tournament for the second straight year in the same gym, on the same court, against the same opponent — even down to the side of the court that the Patriots played on.

“We started off with the same energy (as last year). It was definitely a bonus,” junior Julliane Lee said.

Liberty dropped Bishop Blanchet in straight sets on Nov. 14 for the second straight season in a winner-to-state game inside Lakeside High School’s auxiliary gym.

“I think we just played some of our best volleyball. That’s a tough team… Finishing in three has been a struggle, so doing that tonight felt good,” Head Coach Shea O’Brien said.

For some teams, they might rely on that experience. Being there before, being in those exact same shoes, might be a safe haven. But the Patriots wanted to separate last year’s game from this year’s game, and some first set dramatics made everyone in attendance get out of their seats and forget about last season’s matchup.

“We try not to make too many comparisons. We tried to treat this season as a new season. But it didn’t hurt,” O’Brien said.

The two sides could not be separated early in the first set as Liberty and Blanchet went into the twenties.

The Patriots had a 23-22 lead late over the Bears before the real intensity rose. Blanchet battled back, a team that in their own right is very talented. The Bears ended up taking a 26-25 lead, after Kendreah Beazer’s kill attempt appeared to go long and give Bishop Blanchet the win. Bears parents, coaches and players were ecstatic to win the opening set, but dramatically the assistant referee deemed there was a tip, keeping Liberty alive.

“The girls showed a lot of fight…We were down and they were able to side out quickly, which is tough to do,” O’Brien said.

Liberty then went on to win the first set 29-27, stealing all the momentum from right under the Bears’ nose.

“It was pretty tough. But you just have to focus on every point. You just have to fight for every single one,” Lee said.

The heavily contested atmosphere continued into the second set, but in this set, Liberty never trailed. The Patriots were able to keep Blanchet at arm’s length, winning set two, 25-21.

“Beginning of the season, we got comfortable when we took the first set. We kind of expected teams to give up, but we have now learned that they are not going to,” O’Brien said.

But late in the set, Gabriella Catheral, the Patriots’ setter, got a bloody nose and had to come out of the game.

In stepped Bridget Hansen, a junior who has gotten a little playing time this year, but to say she has a ton of experience would be an understatement. Hansen hadn’t played in the postseason, and even her first point didn’t go as planned. She went to set the ball and it went right though her fingertips, hitting her in the face. But from that moment forward, she shined and finished strong.

“It’s a really tough spot to be in. As a setter, every ball has to go through you, and your hands are cold… I thought she did great. She was nervous but our team brought her up,” O’Brien said.

Even in the third set, Hansen stayed and gained some valuable experience and respect from her teammates.

Blanchet may have trailed two sets to none, but they came out and won the first three points. But then Liberty woke up and won seven straight points — and guess who was at the service line for all six of those points? Bridget Hansen.

“She came in and did a great job… She was hustling from the start. It was awesome,” Lee said.

Liberty led 15-11, and that lead was shrunk by Blanchet before the Patriots could put it away. Liberty relied on their veterans Lee, Beazer, Maiya Lester and Layne Ford — and they came through.

“We are definitely peaking at the right time. I think we’ve been practicing really tough and working on a lot of things all season and now we are starting to see them translate to games,” O’Brien said.

Lee finished with 13 kills, Ford had 10, Lester had nine and Beazer finished with seven kills.

The Patriots now take on Seattle Prep in the semifinal for the second straight season. Last year, they fell to the Panthers three sets to one, but they are ready for that challenge again this time around.

“They are ranked pretty high. They are a great team… We are going to bring it on Saturday,” said Lee.

Last year, the Patriots lost their opening match to Mt. Spokane at the state tournament inside the Yakima Valley SunDome. Liberty went on to win three straight matches to take seventh place.

“Last time we didn’t start with the energy and we ended up losing one game. We’re not planning on doing that this time. I am excited to do a lot better,” Lee said.

This is just the second time in school history Liberty has made back-to-back trips to the state tournament. But it could be the first time of them placing in consecutive years.

“We’re excited. We’ve got goals in mind,” O’Brien said.