DIVISION I VOLLEYBALL: Cougars claim second straight crown

RENO — The first set of Saturday’s Division I state championship girls volleyball match between Coronado and Shadow Ridge had five sets written all over it.

But none of the Cougars wanted to read that book.

After a tough first set, the Cougars cruised to a dominant win over the Mustangs to win their second consecutive state championship, 25-22, 25-15, 25-16 at Galena.

“That first game definitely helped us out,” Coronado coach Matt Johnson said. “Had it gone the other way, we’re probably looking at five, but I think that really helped us get a little bit of confidence.”

The set was tied five times before the Cougars scored three consecutive points, punctuated by a kill and a block by Berkeley Oblad.

“I think we started off a little nervous just with the championship game, and then we found our groove and we played how we’ve been playing all year,” Oblad said. “I think it was who was willing to get on the floor and not let it touch the ground.”

The teams traded ferocious hitting at the net, and Johnson said it was Coronado’s play in the back that made the difference.

“We told our blockers to take away an area and trust their defense that they were gonna dig behind them,” he said. “A great, cohesive defensive effort, I thought.”

The Cougars started the second set with a 10-3 lead, then with a 10-9 lead in the third set, scored 10 consecutive points to end any suspense. After saying his team hadn’t played its best the night before, Johnson said the Cougars got close to their peak potential on Saturday.

“We had some mental errors where I think we were waiting for Shadow Ridge to go away, but they’re too good of a team to do that,” he said.

The Cougars got 10 kills and two blocks from Emily Bender. Cali Thompson had 42 assists, and Navi Lee added seven kills and 15 digs for Coronado.

For Shadow Ridge, Ashley Smith had 15 kills and 16 digs, Chloe Gruwell added nine kills and two aces and Eadara Files contributed 25 assists and an ace.

Oblad was emotional after the match and said this year’s title is special because of the effort the Cougars put forth all season to repeat.

“I don’t even have words, I’m just so excited,” she said. “I think there was more anxiety for this one because there was a little bit of pressure to do it again.”