Last Saturday's NWAC Championship Regional opener started off as the Yakima Valley volleyball team expected, with the Yaks winning the first two sets over Centralia. But something went astray between the second and third games, and YVC dropped the final three sets, falling to the Trailblazers 17-25, 17-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-7.
 
"We didn't play very well on Saturday; that was a tough day for us," YVC coach Darci Dekker said. "Our last couple of practices before we left weren't very good and we had a long bus ride (to Ashland, Ore.). Every team has days like that, and fortunately, we were able to get it out of our system."
 
Although the Yaks didn't play their best on the opening day of Regionals, they managed to pull out a five-set win over Skagit Valley (25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 15-25, 17-15) later in the day to set up a rematch with Centralia on Sunday for a return trip to the Elite 8 — where YVC claimed third place in 2024.
 
An entirely different Yaks team showed up on day two, cruising past the Trailblazers 29-27, 25-22, 25-17 to punch their ticket to the Elite 8 for a second year in a row. First-team all-conference pick Ava Swan led the offense with 13 kills, while third-team selection Lauren Chamberlain had seven. Lofi Talia and Aubrey Tornow put down six kills apiece and first-team all-conference pick Joleen Jaeger added 16 assists and six digs.
 
Fellow first-teamer Kamree Mills led the defense with 18 digs, Tornow had 10 digs, and Malia Wheeler delivered 10 assists as the Yaks posted a .221 kill percentage.
 
"We knew we were a better team than we showed on Saturday, and the girls all agreed that the way we played wasn't YVC volleyball," Dekker said. "But it was good to see us come back much stronger on the second day. We're too good of a team to have two bad days in a row."
 
After surviving a difficult start to the NWAC Championships, the Yaks (27-9 overall) — the No. 2 seed out of the NWAC East — have an opportunity to reset on Friday at 11 a.m., when they take on the North's No. 1 seed, Edmonds.
 
The Yaks fell to the Tritons twice back in September, but they weren't at full strength in either match (losses of 3-0 and 3-2). This time, Dekker believes her team will be ready.
 
"We're excited to play Edmonds again," she said. "We have faced them in the NWACs before, and I think we match up pretty well with them."
 
Despite some achy knees and shoulders, Dekker expects all of her key contributors to be on the court Friday at Columbia Basin College in Pasco — a much shorter bus ride than last weekend.
"I feel like we're good to go," she said. "I would say we're as full strength as we could be this late in the season. I know the girls are going to give it their all, and that's all I can ask for."
 
If the Yaks prevail Friday, they would play the winner of Treasure Valley vs. Spokane — both from the NWAC East. A fourth East team, Walla Walla, also qualified for the Elite 8, proving that the Yaks have already stared down some of the toughest teams left in the tournament.
 
"We're excited to see all four East teams made it to the Elite 8," Dekker said. "We're all friends, and it would be fun if we could play each other again in the final four."