Midseason Top Teams by District

The WIAA not only has leagues but districts broken up by geographical location as well. There is a huge variety of sizes, populations, and teams in each district. District 3 for example, has 8 leagues, from the North Olympic 1B to Pierce County 3A, and both the South and North Puget Sound 4A leagues- and that's just half! In contrast, you might have another with just one league; that's District 9 which covers the Palouse in Southeast Washington.   Using the RPI, Coaches Poll, and the eye ball test, here are the top teams in each district at the midway point of the season.   DISTRICT 1- LAKE STEVENS   Others considered: Archbishop Murphy, Lynden   The Vikings have dropped two non-tournament contests, to North Creek and Lakeside, who both are state title contenders and at the top or nearly at the top of District 2. A thrilling loss to Graham-Kapowsin in the semi-finals of the Crossover Classic is another excellent result. With college-bound seniors in Hayley Tri, [player_tooltip player_id='97226' first='Isabella' last='Christianson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='97228' first='Peri' last='Hoshock'] along the front line, the lineup is powerful. The Vikings just finished a good showing in the 19th Annual Southern California Invitational, finishing second in the top division. Archbishop Murphy has handled nearly all the teams across the court from them, just dropping one match on the season to a tough Columbia River squad.   DISTRICT 2- LAKESIDE   Others: North Creek, Bellevue   It's difficult to pick between these three teams, and they all have piled up wins. North Creek has only dropped matches in tournament play, without their top player, [player_tooltip player_id='97249' first='Kyleene' last='Filimaua'] off training with the USA Beach Volleyball program. Lakeside gets the nod here for playing a tough non-league schedule including difficult out-of-state teams and matching North Creek with a win over Lake Stevens, but in a sweep as opposed to a 3-2 win for the Jaguars. The Lions defeated Bellevue in a very early season close matchup, and we know Bellevue has improved since then. Still, the Lions are on a mission after a disappointing 3A State performance last year, and seniors Emily Dean, Yazzy Muhammed, Sophie Broesalma, and Rebecca DePencier Pinero are carrying the load.   DISTRICT 3- PUYALLUP   Others: Emerald Ridge, Graham-Kapowsin, North Thurston   Puyallup is the team to beat in a loaded district. Paced by standout middle [player_tooltip player_id='230155' first='Danielle' last='Brown'], along with senior Ivy Vidivich, the Vikings are undefeated but will have to work hard to stay that way against Curtis and the Graham-Kapowsin Eagles in league play. Graham-Kapowsin can beat any team on a given night, but Puyallup gets the nod for their consistency. Keep an eye on Addy Connor for North Thurston, the freshman played club for Dakine and put up a 15 kill, 20 dig double-double on Peninsula.   DISTRICT 4- COLUMBIA RIVER   Others: Camas, Kalama, Ridgefield, Mark Morris, Mossy Rock   Columbia River has reeled off an undefeated season to this point, with big wins over Mark Morris, Archbishop Murphy, and a sweep of Ridgefield along the way. Led by sisters Sydney Dreves and Auburn commit [player_tooltip player_id='201023' first='Lauren' last='Dreves'], the Rapids have been overwhelming opponents in the Greater St. Helens 2A. They take the slight nod over 4A Camas, who edged Ridgefield in a 5-set thriller early in the season and has a star of their own in Kendall Mairs. Mark Morris is in tough, the Greater St. Helens League 2A/3A/4A could be the best conference in the state.   DISTRICT 5- ELLENSBURG   Others: Selah   Ellensburg has size, experience, and athleticism, taking the top spot in the district with their recent 3-1 victory over Selah. Abbi Harrel makes it all go for the Bulldogs, and the Villanova commit has three 6-foot plus front liners to team with. Selah could turn the tables on their foes from the 2A CWAC in their next meeting. The Vikings play together as a team and senior setter Taylor Kieser is an explosive attacker and great team leader.   DISTRICT 6- WEST VALLEY YAKIMA   Others: Wenatchee, Chelan   The Rams have a sterling record, a big win over league rival Wenatchee, and a convincing victory over Ellensburg. Two excellent outside hitters power the team from the Big 9 conference, Parker Webb and Lily Kinloch. Wenatchee is going to be theer this year and for the long haul. Besides senior Ashton McMahon, the Panthers are led by a young group of players.   DISTRICT 7- FREEMAN   Others: Colfax   Usually, we would see Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) right here with the Scotties, but the team from Rockford has pulled away this year, establishing their place on top of District 7 at midseason. They had a tough matchup losing to Lake Stevens in pool play at the Crossover Classic, then winning out and taking the Silver Division crown. They have the size in the middle with senior Jaycee Goldsmith, experience on the pins, and a dynamic combo in attacker Aspyn Reed and setter [player_tooltip player_id='231697' first='Ava' last='Semprimoznik'].     DISTRICT 8- MEAD   Others: Mt. Spokane, Kamiakin   Until they are knocked off, the Panthers are the defending 3A state champs and get the nod over their rivals Mt. Spokane. Mead dropped a tough battle with Chelan at the Crossover Classic and was in with very tough competition at the Nike Southwest Tournament of Champions. They are led by standout middles [player_tooltip player_id='233895' first='Ava' last='Durgan'] and Danikah Johnson and mix in powerful outside [player_tooltip player_id='97273' first='Cassie' last='Moeller'] and savvy junior setter Brielle Wilson. Mt. Spokane has the best player in the district in [player_tooltip player_id='97271' first='Leilani' last='Ama'], the end of the year "Catfight" is going to be intense. The Mid-Columbia Conference teams have not dipped into out-of-league play a great deal this year, battling it out amongst each other for the most part. Kamiakin had the highest finish at the Crossover Classic in Spokane and sit atop the league at 9-1. The Braves are led by junior outside Payton Arnold, setter Rylee Dolven, and middle Jule Whitley.   DISTRICT 9- OAKESDALE   Others: Pomeroy   It's a runaway for Oakesdale in a one-league district, but the Nighthawks have proven they belong among the better teams in the state, despite playing in the Southeast 1B. The Crossover Classic finals and an otherwise undefeated record give this team all they need to be at the top of Southeast Washington. Doing anything and everything to win is the mantra for all their players, but the team is led by seniors Gianna Anderson and Jesse Reed, and versatile junior [player_tooltip player_id='230149' first='Payton' last='Davis'].

The WIAA not only has leagues but districts broken up by geographical location as well. There is a huge variety of sizes, populations, and teams in each district. District 3 for example, has 8 leagues, from the North Olympic 1B to Pierce County 3A, and both the South and North Puget Sound 4A leagues- and that's just half! In contrast, you might have another with just one league; that's District 9 which covers the Palouse in Southeast Washington.