Mount Si-Camas matchup highlights Emerald City Volleyball Invitational

If Mount Si's dream comes true, Wildcats coach Bonnie Foote can look back at the Emerald City Volleyball Invitational at Edmundson Pavilion as the first step in a march to a long-sought state championship.

The Wildcats, state semifinalists in 2009, and Camas, the team Mount Si defeated in a dramatic state quarterfinal a year ago, were the marquee squads in Saturday's seven-team jamboree.

Camas edged Mount Si, scoring the final three points in a 25-minute single set to win 24-21.

"I wish we could play them again," Foote said.

The Wildcats might do just that this fall in the 3A state tournament.

Mount Si has reached state each of the past three seasons, last year falling to eventual champion Bishop Blanchet in the semifinals. And Camas, which finished the jamboree 6-0, will likely be there this year, which means Saturday's brief rematch might have served as both flashback and preview.

"That's the caliber of competition that will be at state," said Foote, in her 11th season at Mount Si.

"We're definitely a state-caliber team. I don't care who we meet. I just want us to be a high-performance volleyball team."

Mount Si, 5-1 on the day, is led by 6-foot-2 senior outside hitter Zoe Gogan, who has verbally committed to playing for Washington State after graduating. Gogan had 25 kills and 25 digs in six matches Saturday.

The Wildcats have eight seniors, including transfer Catie Fry, a setter who will play for Central Washington as a collegian. Fry had 41 assists Saturday.

Gogan said she and her teammates have made a state title their goal for the season.

"We started out a little jittery today but got better as the day went on and showed our potential," she said. "We're all working really hard to get better every day."

Foote says that effort is evident in her team's early-season play.

"If we continue improving in all the little things we've been working on, this team has as good a chance as any team out there," Foote said.

Notes

• Other teams competing Saturday: Union (4-2), Eastlake (2-4), Christian Faith of Federal Way (2-4), Bellevue (1-5) and Life Christian of Tacoma (1-5).

Junior outside hitter Sarah Pellicano led Eastlake with 21 kills. Senior outside hitter Makenzie Carroll paced Christian Faith with 18 kills.

• First-year Bellevue coach Mike Beckerman, a former club coach, says his young team, led by outside hitter Madison Whitney and libero Memie Huang, is adjusting to the new system he's installing.

"They're putting out maximum effort to adjust to all the new things we're throwing at them," he said.