Cambree Scott and Sonna Faulkner had nine kills apiece Thursday night, leading Bend High to a 25-13, 25-19, 25-22 home victory over Mountain View and securing a share of the Intermountain Conference volleyball title for the Lava Bears.
Bend, which entered play Thursday ranked No. 3 in Class 5A, finished 7-1 in league play and tied with No. 1 Summit for the IMC championship for the second straight year. The higher-ranked team between the two when the OSAA rankings freeze Saturday night will advance to the first round of the 5A state playoffs on Oct. 28, while the lower-ranked team will host a play-in match next week.
Bend coach Kristin Cooper said after Thursday’s match that she did not anticipate a significant change in the rankings before they are frozen.
Against Mountain View, Kaci Cox contributed six kills, 14 digs and two aces for the Lava Bears, and Scott had three blocks for the reigning 5A state champions.
In their season finale, the Cougars were led by Aja Perks and Makenna Gales with four kills apiece, and the two combined for five blocks. Also for Mountain View (2-6 IMC), Violet Mills had eight digs and Mailee Utu had 20 assists.
The Cougars led for much of the third game, which was tied 20-20 before Bend ran off four straight points. Mountain View got within 24-22 before the Lava Bears put it away.
“I was proud of the way the girls played against the No. 3 team in the state,” said Cougars coach Kate Hunter. “We got better every game, and it was nice to see us end on a really high level.”