Adrian avenged its 2006 semifinal loss to Griswold (Helix) with a hard-fought 25-10, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21 victory over the Grizzlies in the first of two 1A semifinals Friday night. With the win, the Antelopes will play for the 1A title at 6:00 pm Saturday. Adrian will face Dufur, which overcame a 2-1 game deficit to beat Imbler, in a 25-21, 10-25, 23-25, 25-13, 15-11 thriller in the other late semifinal match.

Last year, Griswold knocked off Adrian in five games, sending the Antelopes into the 3rd place match while the Grizzlies played for the title. This year, Adrian returned the favor, sending Griswold into Saturday’s 2:15 3rd place game against the Imbler Panthers.

Adrian, the High Desert League top seed, lies within an after-dinner walk distance of the Idaho border. But the Antelopes seemed to enjoy their back-to-back trips to Forest Grove. Unlike Dufur, the Antelopes have the advantage of having been here last year, when the school took home its first-ever trophy.

But Dufur, the Big Sky–West top seed, is no stranger to 1A title matches. The Rangers have a long and rich volleyball tradition, with three state titles on the wall, the last two coming in 2004 and 2005. Fans can be sure that the Rangers would like nothing more than to win its third state title in four years. No other school in this tournament can make that claim.