Bear Lake lone local team to cash in with opening-round win at Mountain America Center

IDAHO FALLS — The Bear Lake Bears were the first local team to take the court at the Mountain America Center, which is hosting the 3A and 4A Idaho Volleyball State Championships.

The top-seeded Bears got things started on the right foot for District 5-6 schools Thursday, with a straight-set victory over the 4A bracket’s No. 8-seeded Timberlake White Tigers. But things went downhill from there for local teams, who went 0-5 the rest of the day.

Because the tournament is double-elimination, the teams that lost in round one still have a route to the championship. But their first-round defeats mean they will have to be perfect the rest of the way.

Here is a complete roundup of the 3A-4A action from the first day of the state volleyball tournament:

3A

No. 1 Ambrose defeats No. 8 West Side, 3-0
The Pirates went down in straight sets — 25-23, 25-17, 25-22 — at the hands of the bracket’s top seed. They will face No. 5 Nampa Christian Friday morning, with the loser bowing out of the tournament.

No. 6 Melba defeats No. 3 Malad, 3-2
The Dragons are among the bracket favorites, but they could not overcome the upset-minded Mustangs. After dropping the first two sets, Melba battled back to force a decisive fifth set and eventually claimed a 11-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-12 reverse sweep. Malad falls into the losers bracket, where they will meet Firth Friday.

No. 2 Kellogg defeats No. 7 Firth, 3-2
The Cougars gave Kellogg all it could have wanted, swapping the first four sets before finally succumbing in the fifth, 19-25, 25-17, 22-25, 26-24, 15-12. Firth will look to repeat that performance Friday, when they face the Dragons in a loser-out game.

4A

No. 1 Bear Lake defeats No. Timberlake, 3-0
The Bears, coming off a state championship run last year, continue to establish themselves as a 4A volleyball power, sweeping the White Tigers 25-10, 25-22, 25-14. They advance to the second round of the winners bracket, where they will face No. 5 Fruitland for a spot in the championship round.

No. 5 Fruitland defeats No. 4 Preston, 3-0
Preston was a slight favorite heading into Thursday’s opening round, but could not handle the Grizzlies, falling 25-15, 25-18, 25-14. They will face Timberlake Friday morning.

No. 3 Cole Valley defeats No. 6 Sugar-Salem, 3-0
The Diggers saw their modest three-match winning streak come to an end in a 25-15, 25-18, 25-21 defeat. They will face No. 7 Filer in Friday’s second round.