Prep volleyball: Bishop Blanchet wins Class 3A title over top-ranked Mount Spokane; Archbishop Murphy second in Class 2A

KENNEWICK — Summer Nash wanted to make a difference.

She did more than that.

Nash was the difference as third-ranked Bishop Blanchet captured the Class 3A state volleyball championship Saturday night at the Toyota Center as she smashed 28 kills in a 3-1 victory over No. 1 Mount Spokane, 15-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-14.

"She's amazing," Mount Spokane coach John Reid said. "She just took over. We didn't have an answer for her."

That was her plan all along after watching helplessly from the bench last year as the Braves lost in the semifinals. Nash was ineligible for varsity competition in 2008 after transferring from Mount Si.

"Last year was tough, but this could make up for it two years in a row," she said with a big smile.

Coach Matt Chang expected Nash to rise to the occasion.

"She stepped up big-time and said this is going to be my tournament," he said.

Mount Spokane (30-5) looked unstoppable early in the championship match, cruising to the first-set victory. But Chang made some adjustments and Nash made the match hers.

"This is definitely one of the best feelings I've ever had," she said. "I'll never forget this."

Chloe Sliger, who had 51 assists in the title match, was also named to the all-tournament team along with Mount Spokane sophomore Annie Arnzen.

The Braves (28-5) were back in the championship match for the first time since winning the title in 2006 under Joanne Gilligan, who married and moved to Louisiana at the end of that school year. Chang, her assistant at the time, took over and brought the Braves to the semifinals in 2007 and '08. But they lost to the eventual champion each time and had to settle for a pair of third-place finishes.

Blanchet reached the championship match with a straight-sets victory over Mount Si in the semifinals, an emotional match for Nash, who delivered 23 kills. Mount Spokane had a more difficult time with fourth-ranked Prairie in the other semi. After jumping up 2-0, the Wildcats lost the next two sets before resuming control in the fifth.

Mount Spokane was looking to make it a 3A-4A state sweep for the Mead School District. Mead won the 4A title on Friday.

Mount Si and Prairie played a late match to decide third and sixth places. The contest for fourth and seventh places between second-ranked Seattle Prep and Camas also ran late. Camas ended Meadowdale's trophy hopes earlier Saturday.

Archbishop Murphy takes 2nd

Archbishop Murphy fell just short of claiming its first Class 2A state volleyball championship.

But the Wildcats walked away with their heads held high after a 3-2 loss to Pullman, 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 20-25, 15-12.

"We set all new records this year," first-year head coach Jeff Curtis said. "We'd never won a district title before. We'd never won a first-round match before or reached the quarters or the semifinals. These five seniors walk away knowing that 20 years from now they can say, 'We were the leading edge of something special.' "

The Wildcats reached the title match with a dramatic semifinal victory over Fife. After trailing 2-1, they rallied to tie it and then led 14-9 in the final set before Fife put together a fiery comeback that just fell short, 18-16.