YAKIMA — The Neah Bay girls volleyball team won its opening match Wednesday at the state 1B volleyball championships, moving into the quarterfinals.
The Red Devils beat Fellowship Christian of Everett 3-1 (25-11, 25-18, 21-25, 25-14). The Red Devils fell in a big hole in the third set 13-4 and battled back to within three points at 23-20 after an Angel Halttunen ace. Fellowship Christian was able to pick up two quick points to win. It was only the fourth set Neah Bay has lost all year.
However, the undefeated Red Devils (19-0) went on an 8-1 run to blow open a tight fourth set, much of it with Ezrah Ray serving, taking a dominant 24-12 lead. They were able to get the final point to close out the set and the match.
Neah Bay played in the quarterfinals late Wednesday night after press deadline against No. 7 seed Waterfield-Mansfield (16-3). If the No. 2-seeded Red Devils win that match, they play in the semifinals at noon today at the Yakima Valley SunDome. The finals are at 7:30 p.m. today.
The matches can be watched at the NFHS Network at www.nfhsnetwork.com.