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.
That will change when the 4A state tourney begins Thursday at Toyota Center in Kennewick after Richland and Southridge both snatched up berths at the 4A Eastern Regional tournament in Spokane on Saturday.
It will be the first trip for Richland and for Raidl, the Bombers coach, and the third for Lengphounpraseut, the Suns coach. But both are looking forward to the chance for their teams to prove themselves.
"I think you just have to make things as familiar as possible and concentrate on what got us to where we are now," Raidl said. "(John) gave me some good advice on what he did his first trip. ... We're just excited to be here. It's an opportunity we've wanted for a long time."
Richland will face Auburn-Riverside -- ranked fourth in the latest Seattle Times state poll -- in the first round Thursday, while Southridge draws fifth-ranked Skyview for its first match. The Storm finished third at last year's 4A tourney.
"I know quite a bit about them. We saw them at the Spokane Crossover," said Lengphounpraseut. "You don't want to go into (state) without knowing the strength of a team."
On Friday, the 2A and 3A state tournaments begin at Toyota Center, giving fans plenty of teams to follow through the weekend.
Grandview will be making its 12th overall state appearance -- and 10th straight -- under coach John LaFever and will face Archbishop Murphy in the first round.
"I don't think we were counting on (state). We're real young," LaFever said. "We've had to make some pretty interesting adjustments in a league with a lot of seniors. ... But I'm really happy with what we've done as a team."
In the 1A tournament beginning Friday at the SunDome in Yakima, Connell will meet Castle Rock in a matchup featuring 33 state appearances between both teams. The Eagles have reached state 14 times, while the two-time state champion Scotties have been there 19 times.
Royal, the SCAC district champion, will meet Freeman in its first-round match.
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