PUYALLUP-For the Christian Faith of Federal Way volleyball team, Saturday, Nov. 1, was a day of mixed blessings that ultimately resulted in a fourth place seed in Saturday (after press time) Tri-District tournament action in Edmonds.

In the morning match up at Chief Leschi High School, Christian Faith qualified for Tri-District from its wild card status with a 3-0 sweep of King’s West in the SeaTac 2B league tournament.

It was a balanced effort that featured contributions from several Eagle athletes. Makenzie Carroll knocked off six kills to go along with 11 digs and four aces while teammate Alisa Tofaeono notched six kills, two blocks and four aces. Kelsey Carroll responded with four kills, three blocks, three digs and two aces.

Adding additional impetus to the excellent Eagle effort, Malia Cabiles dug out four balls in addition to her two blocks and two aces. Collaborating for seven digs and four kills was Dena Green.

Early evening action against the Bear Creek School of Redmond became a fearsomely formidable task.

The Northern Division No. 2-seeded Grizzlies broke away from a 10-10 deadlock in the first game with eight consecutive points keyed by the the superlative serving of Dominique DuBois before capturing a 25-17 win.

Serving and service return superiority touched off a 9-0 Bear Creek surge that erased an early Christian Faith lead in the second game. The Grizzlies outscored the Eagles at a 2-0 ratio the rest of the way to post a 25-15 verdict.

Trailing 6-4 in game No.3, Christian faith staged its best sequence of action. Kelsey Carroll’s service ace brought the squads to a 6-6 tie. After a Bear Creek point, the Eagles spread their wings and flew to eight consecutive points while establishing a 13-7 margin.

Stretching the advantage to 15-8 and 16-9, Christian Faith then encountered an awesome onslaught by the Grizzlies and eventually fell into a 16-16 deadlock. Alisa Tofaeono’s kill from the left side capped two consecutive CF points for an 18-16 lead, but Bear Creek blasted back to grab a 19-18 edge.

Christian Faith tied the score at 19-19 before an Eagle kill attempt went wide, igniting a four-point swing that put the Grizzlies into a 25-21 triumph.

Entering Tri-District with a league record of 7-8, Christian Faith appreciated qualifying as a wild card entry into the league tournament before securing a Tri-District berth.

“We’ve had good times together,” recalled freshman Amanda Tofaeono, who contributed 24 assists to match well with seven digs. “I liked being together with the girls. We all helped each other to be happy.”

Malia Cabiles cashed in on 10 digs, three kills and four aces for Christian Faith. Kelsey Carroll led with 15 digs and four aces.

It was a memorable tournament for Eagle head coach Stephanie Pond.

“Our team had to work out some issues to be successful,” Pond recollected. “This is a great group. Our freshman setter Amanda Tofaeono is our heart and soul. She’s like a coach out there.”