YAKIMA — Brooklynn Swenson didn’t want to make it a big deal, but it ended up being one.

Quite literally.

As the Rainier High School volleyball team was warming up prior to the start of a Class 2B state quarterfinal, it was paying close attention to the front row of Freeman.

Three hitters all over six-foot towered over the net.

“I mean our league is really good, but we’re not used to six-foot girls,” Swenson said. “It is a different atmosphere.”

That trifecta for the Scotties had their way a bounty of times in helping the third-seeded team in the tournament to a comfortable 25-19, 25-5, 25-17 sweep over the sixth-seeded Mountaineers on Wednesday night inside the Yakima Valley SunDome.

A year after going through to the semis as the ninth seed, Rainier (18-5) will attempt to bring another state trophy to South Thurston County when it faces seventh-seeded River View in an elimination game on Thursday morning.

“They’re just a tough team,” Mountaineers head coach Carrie Ooms said. “I felt as long as we could have gotten our block together, I think we would have been OK. We just had moments where our block was just off.”

It was evident that Freeman, last falls’ Class 1A runner-up, would use the size to their advantage. Sophomores Logan Pecht (6-foot-3) and Avery Berglund (6-2) plus senior Brooke Berglund (6-1) showcased their dominance most of the match.

None more than in the second set.

Whether it was one of those three or free ball points from others, the Scotties took command by scoring 14 of the first 15 points and cruising from there.

“We had a lot of issues serve receiving,” Ooms said. “I don’t know if it was a mental thing or if we had issues with the serves itself. When the girls get in their heads, it is really hard for them to reset quickly.”

Rainier flushed the blowout away and was within two-to-three points for a good portion of the third set. Freeman got to 20 first and put the finishing touches on a sweep.

Even a loss isn’t sidetracking from the goal Swenson had when she walked into the SunDome.

“I just wanna enjoy the experience rather than (dwell) on (the loss),” the senior setter said. “There’s always tomorrow.”

In the opening round match, the Mountaineers staved off No. 11 Davenport in four sets 25-16, 25-23, 25-27, 25-16. None of the sets were blowouts and in the first and fourth sets, Rainier went on sprees to seize control.

Ooms called the Grizzlies “scrappy” and all four sets never felt one-sided, primarily the middle two. In the second set, Rainier’s two captains Janess Blackburn and Acacia Murphy answered the bell with kills that put it up 2-0 in the match.

After Davenport erased a pair of match points to take the third, the Mountaineers jumped out in the fourth 8-3 and finished off the win.

“I really look at them to help the team,” Ooms said of Blackburn and Murphy. “They both play strong.”

The opportunity to get another piece of hardware remains alive for Rainier. Swenson and Ooms remain confident this squad can win two more games in Yakima.

“We’re pushing really hard and we really want it,” Swenson stated.