Coach Steve Bain named Seattle Times Coach of the Year.

Anna Cesari named State 1A Player of the Year. Dionna Kirton and McKenzie Daniels named to 1A All State teams.

Published November 14, 2009

King's Stops Chelan for Second Straight 1A Title

By DAVE THOMAS       YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

With a second straight state title in sight, King's dialed up a winning combination to complete the quest Friday night in the SunDome.

Anchored by the dynamic senior duo of Dionna Kirton and Anna Cesari, and complemented by a determined defensive effort, the Knights subdued Chelan 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 to claim the Class 1A championship.

"We just stayed calm and collected, and trusted each other," said Kirton, who finished with 25 kills and 13 digs.

Cesari was a big reason for that cohesion as the setter dished out 45 assists, spreading the ball around to keep Chelan off balance.

"Anna did a great job of running the offense," said King's coach Steve Bain, pointing to the 14 kills by right-side hitter Allison McConnaughy as evidence of that balance. "With her (Cesari's) ability to locate the ball, we got good swings no matter who hit the ball."

King's complemented that offense with stellar serving and defense as the Knights overcame a first-game loss to win the highly competitive and extremely entertaining match.

"Probably the difference was that they (King's) had a few more digs on our big hits," Chelan coach Donene Hendricks said. "It was a tough match, but I couldn't be prouder of my kids."

Leading that effort was junior outside hitter Jaicee Harris, who had 24 kills, eight blocks and 29 digs.

"I credit Chelan. They played a great match," said Bain. "We were just fortunate to be playing our best volleyball at the end of the season."

King's is still queen
on Class 1A's Day One
By DAVE THOMAS  YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

On the eve of the Class 1A state volleyball tournament, Steve Bain, coach of defending champion King's, tried to downplay the fact that his team entered the SunDome ranked No. 1 in the state.

Whether Bain had genuine reservations about his team's play or he was simply trying to lower expectations was a bit murky.

What became crystal clear after Thursday's play is that King's lived up to its No. 1 billing and then some.

After opening with a convincing sweep of Lakeside, the Knights turned in an even more impressive three-game sweep of seventh-ranked Lynden Christian to reach today's semifinals.

"These are just two good teams and fortunately we were able to get the best of them this time," Bain said, referring a Lyncs team that had just swept King's at district. "I felt it would come down to serving and passing ... (and) our setter (Anna Cesari) did a great job of distributing the ball."

Cesari had 37 assists and 10 digs, with Dionna Kirton the big beneficiary, collecting 21 kills while digging 15 balls. Joclyn Kirton added eight kills, and McKenzie Daniels had 21 digs.

King's avoided a semifinal pairing with the team it beat in last year's final when Cascade rallied to stun Castle Rock 25-22, 20-25, 9-25, 25-22, 15-13 in the last quarterfinal of the night.

The defending champs weren't the only team looking strong Thursday.

PREP VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: King’s wins battle of unbeaten teams

Herald staff - EVERETT — In a battle of unbeaten rivals, it was King’s night.

King’s and Archbishop Murphy were each 6-0 and sat tied atop the Cascade Conference volleyball standings when the evening started. But the Knights swept the Wildcats 25-17, 25-18, 27-25 at Archbishop Murphy High School Thursday night.

The Knights, who are ranked No. 1 in 1A in the state coaches’ poll, were led by seniors Dionna Kirton, who had 17 kills, and setter Anna Cesari’s 26 assists

“Our kids were very prepared for a challenging match, said King’s head coach Steve Bain. “It’s always a tough environment going into their gym.”

Tina Boggs served five aces for King’s, and on the defensive side, sophomore libero McKenzie Daniels stepped up to the pressure with 16 digs.

“The Wildcats, who are No. 2 in the 2A poll, were led by Becca Gotz, who had 14 kills and 13 digs, and Savannah Fletcher, who registered six kills, five blocks and two aces.

Hannah Linsenmayer chipped in with 27 digs, two kills and two aces, and Dani Baehm added 20 assists, three kills and one ace.

“It’s developed into a great rivalry with two very successful programs,” said Bain. “We look forward to playing them every year. They’re formidable, and we’re fortunate enough to get the victory.