Madison, Hillcrest and Shelley advance in state tournament

BOISE – Welcome back to the state tournament, where the Madison Bobcats took another step towards perfection.

Madison began its quest for a four-peat Thursday night with a 25-15, 25-10, 25-12 win over Eagle in the 6A tournament opener at Capital High.

The Bobcats remained perfect on the season at 33-0 and showed no state tournament jitters in the tournament opener.

That’s expected from a roster that features eight seniors, most of whom have been under the spotlight of the state tournament and have helped hang three straight banners in the Madison gym.

The only drama Thursday was when a fire alarm stopped play early in the match. It took about 15 minutes for competition to resume, and the Bobcats didn’t miss a beat.

“I thought we played well,” coach Keanu Pukahi said. “I’m always going to nitpick with them though. I always expect them to do more, but overall it was a great first win … This is one game down.”

Madison will play No. 6 Timberline in a Friday semifinal at 3:30 p.m.

Timberline downed Rocky Mountain in five sets to advance.

Top-seeded Skyview swept Boise to move into the other semifinals. Skyview will play Coeur d’Alene at 1:30 p.m.

Rigby falls to Coeur d’Alene

Coeur d’Alene had won eight of its past 10 matches and was seeded fourth in the tournament.

Rigby, which finished second behind Madison in the 6A High Country Conference, was seeded fifth.

The Vikings jumped out to a fast start to win the first set.

The Trojans rallied in the second set and eventually tied the set at 25-25 before Coeur d’Alene won 29-27.

It was all Vikings (24-4) in the third as CdA took a 14-5 lead and pulled away.

“I think our girls definitely didn’t come out mentally prepared,” Rigby coach Bailee Despot said. “They started slow and I think that got in their heads. Maybe it was the nerves of state. But I know we’re a better team than what we showed today.”

Brinley Bybee led the Trojans with 14 kills and Giada Bertagnolli added 10 kills. Breleigh Youngstrom finished with 19 digs.

Rigby (31-9) will play Boise in Friday’s elimination round.

“As coaches we will do our part to mentally prepare the girls and ensure that they are ready to play in the morning,” Despot said.

The match is 9 a.m. at Capital High. Coeur d’Alene will play top seed Skyview at 1:30 p.m.

5A state tournament

Top-seeded Hillcrest had little trouble in its state opener against Vallivue, winning 25-12, 25-14, 25-10.

The Knights, who finished third in the competitive 5A High Country Conference during the regular season, will face No. 4 Middleton in the state semifinals Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Alexa Weatherly finished with 12 kills and Natalie Petty added three aces. Ali Maddox tallied 10 digs and Jenna Jensen had four blocks for Hillcrest.

The 5A tournament is at Timberline High.

Shelley moves into semifinals
No. 2 seed Shelley swept Twin Falls 25-10, 25-10, 25-15.

The Russets (24-9) bounced back after a loss to Hillcrest in the district tournament.

Jaida Clark led Shelley with 17 kills and middle blocker Josslyn Ivie had nine aces. Mallory Higham added 37 assists and Ashtyn Davis finished with 16 digs.

Shelley will play third-seeded Lakeland in Friday’s semis at 3:30 p.m.

Lakeland knocked off Moscow in straight sets.