The La Center Wildcats volleyball team wrapped up a third straight top-five finish in the 1A volleyball state tournament with a fourth place trophy in the Yakima Valley SunDome on Saturday, Nov. 15.
The Wildcats had an uphill climb to reach a top-five finish this year as they entered the tournament as the sixth overall seed after a loss in the district championship to Kalama High School. A win in the district championship would have kept a perfect season alive and likely an easier path toward the state championship.
But the gritty and determined Wildcats kicked off the tournament with a three-set win over Lakeside High School to advance and face No. 3-seeded Cascade Christian High School in the quarterfinal.
The quarterfinal was nothing short of an absolute thriller as the matchup, a rematch of last year’s semifinal round, went to five sets. La Center won the first set, the fourth and fifth set to take the 3-2 win to the state semifinals.
In the semifinals, the Wildcats found themselves exceeding seed expectations, but so did their opponent as No. 7 seed Meridian handled the matchup in four sets for a 3-1 win over La Center. The Wildcats next lost in three sets to the Cashmere Bulldogs in the third/fourth place match.
The senior class of Bailey Espana, Nadia Whited and Madison Castro were a part of three straight semifinals runs for the Wildcats. The 2023 state tournament run resulted in a third place finish while 2024 and 2025 landed fourth place honors.
