SELAH - The Ephrata volleyball team took third place in CWAC district tournament Saturday and advances to regional play at East Valley as the No. 3 seed.

The Tigers will match up with West Valley in a loser out game at 1 p.m.

Ephrata lost its first match in the second round of district play Saturday to Selah in three sets (8-25, 9-25, 18-25) to fall into the loser bracket to face Grandview. The Tigers won the match in five sets (20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 20-25, 15-8) to advance.

"We struggled to get going against Selah, but found our groove in game three," coach Britney Ratigan said. "The girls played all-out volleyball against Grandview. Tessa (Ratigan) did a great job of running the back court and Sarah (Pheasant) ran a great offense and our hitters came alive."

Ephrata also got a strong effort from Kendra DeHoog and Heidi Buchert on the day.

"They really controlled the net and had some big blocks," Ratigan said. "They also took some very aggressive swings."

Ratigan said the goal heading into district play was to finish higher than last year, and go on to regionals. Mission accomplished.

"Ephrata hasn't beat Grandview in 10 years and hasn't gone past districts since 2005," she said. "These girls have put their time in. They play as a team and they play with heart and that's our combination of success. It was a big step for us today and we look to continue our game at regionals."

DeHoog led the attack for the Tigers with 29 kills, one block and 14 digs. Buchert was a close second with 22 kills, two blocks and 15 digs. Stephanie Wulf added seven kills and an ace and Julia Weaver contributed seven kills. Pheasant dished out 50 assists, had six kills and two blocks, and Ratigan finished with 25 digs.