KENNEWICK -- For Summer Nash, the long journey to a state volleyball title ended up worth it.

KENNEWICK -- The Pullman volleyball team stared down the barrel of elimination Friday night and lived to tell about it.

4A STATE TOURNAMENT

KENNEWICK -- If you're a volleyball player from Spokane, you know the tradition you have to uphold.

KENNEWICK -- Taylor Dillard spoke with a lot of bravado for a player whose team hasn't been this far at state in a long time.

KENNEWICK -- If there's one lesson Washington volleyball fans have learned by now, it should be: Never count Mead out.

KENNEWICK -- Here are the team-by-team outlooks for this weekend's girls 2A volleyball tournament at Toyota Center in Kennewick:

KENNEWICK -- Here are some of the players expected to shine at this weekend's 3A state volleyball tournament at Toyota Center:

KENNEWICK -- Here are some of the players expected to shine at this weekend's 2A state volleyball tournament at Toyota Center:

KENNEWICK -- Here are the team-by-team outlooks for this weekend's girls 3A volleyball tournament at Toyota Center in Kennewick:

YAKIMA -- Brooke Gibbons had 27 kills, Laryn Wells furnished 36 assists and 15 blocks and Shannon Jorgenson was 32-for-32 from the service line as Connell survived the first round of 1A state volleyball tournament at the SunDome in Yakima.

GRANDVIEW -- Last year, Grandview libero Gabby Sauve was the shortest player in the state volleyball program, listed at 4-foot-11.

KENNEWICK -- The Richland volleyball players kept up their brave facade until they belted out one final team cheer to close out their season.

KENNEWICK -- At last weekend's 4A Eastern Regional tournament, Mead coach Judy Kight celebrated her 500th career victory in the title match.

KENNEWICK -- A year ago, Summer Nash had one of the best seats in the house for the 3A state volleyball tournament.

KENNEWICK -- Here are the team-by-team outlooks for this weekend's girls 4A volleyball tournament at Toyota Center in Kennewick:

KENNEWICK -- Here are some of the players expected to shine at this weekend's 4A state volleyball tournament at Toyota Center:

RICHLAND -- Chelsey Bettinson has a unique perspective on the CBBN coaches' selections as the league's top two setters.

Bob Raidl and John Lengphounpraseut have been good friends for the last 15 years, but there is one trip the pair of CBBN coaches has not made together -- the state volleyball tournament.

SPOKANE -- Richland and Southridge, the top two volleyball teams in the CBBN all season, found their way to next week's 4A state tournament at Toyota Center.

SPOKANE -- Heather Worley recorded 28 digs and 20 kills to lift Southridge to a 18-25, 25-16, 25-13, 23-25, 16-14 first-round victory over University at the 4A regional tournament.

The Richland volleyball team huddled before Saturday's CBBN 4A district championship match and watched as Southridge received the trophy for winning the regular-season title.

RICHLAND -- The subject of last year's postseason came up frequently at Richland volleyball practices this week.

The CBBN coaches predicted before the season a topsy-turvy league season, and they proved to be correct.

Nicole Roberts had 18 kills and six blocks, and Tiffany Idler added 15 kills, six blocks and 14 digs as Columbia (Burbank) outlasted Connell in five sets Saturday in a key SCAC East match.

From stats reported by league coaches in CBBN matches only

HERMISTON -- Kayleigh Barnitz had 10 kills and Gracie Flyg added eight kills and 18 digs, but Hermiston couldn't overcome a 2-0 deficit and saw its playoff hopes extinguished with an IMC loss to Mountain View by a 3-1 margin.

RICHLAND -- A small group of Richland players and coaches loitered on the Art Dawald Gym floor Thursday after the Bombers' 25-20, 19-25, 25-15, 26-24 CBBN volleyball win over Walla Walla, waiting for word on Southridge's match at West Valley.

Seven of the eight participants in next week's CBBN 4A district volleyball tournament are set.

Here are the 2009 Columbia Basin Big Nine statistical leaders for girls volleyball through Tuesday, Oct. 20:

ZILLAH -- Columbia (Burbank) reached the finals of the 12-team Zillah Invitational before falling to Naches Valley 19-25, 25-21, 15-13.

KENNEWICK -- The first thing you notice about Meagan Doyle is her hair.

Last weekend's Spokane Crossover Classic showed how three Tri-City CBBN programs match up well against the best from around the state.

Through matches of Oct. 13

KENNEWICK -- Southridge's first-ever league win in volleyball came 12 years ago against crosstown rival Kamiakin.

SPOKANE -- Southridge's Heather Worley pounded out 43 kills and 38 digs during the day as the Suns went 6-1 to finish fifth in their division at the Spokane Invite.

After spending the better part of a month beating up on each other, the CBBN's top volleyball teams can gauge themselves against the best from around the state this weekend at the annual Crossover Classic in Spokane.

Stats reported by CBBN coaches through matches of Oct. 7

Kylee Sixkiller got the Pasco coaching job less than a month before the season began. What's been the toughest part of the transition process?

RICHLAND -- Momentum can be a fickle beast in volleyball.

Through Sept. 29

PASCO -- Sydney Disselkamp had 27 kills, 12 blocks and nine aces for the day for Tri-Cities Prep, which beat Bickleton, Waitsburg-Prescott and Sunnyside Christian to win its own invitational.

Here are the 2009 Mid-Columbia girls volleyball standings:

Three weeks into the CBBN season, there are no undefeated teams left in the league -- a fact that does not surprise any of its coaches, who figured the league was as balanced top-to-bottom as it has ever been.

Through Sept. 23

MOSES LAKE -- Heather Worley had 13 kills and four aces, Andrea Smith finished with 35 assists and Southridge shrugged off an opening-set loss and beat Moses Lake 14-25, 25-4, 25-22, 25-17 in a CBBN match.

KENNEWICK -- Kamiakin's volleyball match with Eastmont set for today has been postponed because Eastmont can't field a team due to sickness.

KENNEWICK -- Chelsey Bettinson had a game-high 12 kills for Richland, which knocked Southridge from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 25-11, 25-16, 25-23 CBBN victory in Kennewick.

BEND -- Maloree Moss was strong in several areas as Hermiston improved to 2-0 in IMC play with a four-game road victory over winless Bend.

KENNEWICK -- For the second time in a week, the third-ranked Kamiakin volleyball team was pushed to five sets.