The White River High girls battled their way to the state Class 2A volleyball championships, where they won an opening-round match. From there, things didn’t go as well for the Hornets, who dropped their next two matches and were eliminated.

The 2A volleyball tournament – which brought together the top 16 teams in the state – was contested Friday and Saturday at St. Martin’s University in Lacey.

The Hornets opened state play with a match against Fife, a fellow member of the South Puget Sound League 2A. White River made it three victories in a row over the Trojans with a 3-1 win at St. Martin’s. Paired against Woodland in the field of eight, the Hornets fell 3-1 to a team that went on to place fourth overall. Moving into the loser’s bracket, White River lost 3-1 and was eliminated by a Tumwater squad that wound up with a fifth-place trophy.

The tourney capped a successful season in which White River finished 19-3 overall. That included a 13-1 mark in South Puget Sound League 2A play that brought a league championship, followed by four straight victories and a West Central/SeaKing District title.

The state tournament brought the final high school matches for Hornet seniors Taylor Keating, Emily Kunst, Mahealini Stone, Shaylee Thompson and Kelsey Williams. Stone capped her prep career by being named Most Valuable Player in the SPSL 2A.