In the end, the Wolves’ senior-laden squad finished exactly where they wanted.
Despite a loss to Fife that kept them from a top-eight finish — and a rematch with league rival North Kitsap — Sequim High’s volleyball squad earned a win and placed among the top 12 teams at the Class 2A state tournament last weekend at St. Martin’s University in Lacey.
“Getting to state is a huge accomplishment,” senior co-captain Sydney Balkan said. “Winning here is even better.”
Sequim, led by Olympic League MVP Adrienne Haggerty and six other seniors, rebounded from a first round loss to powerhouse Archbishop Murphy on Nov. 11 to knock off Orting later that day in four games.
On Nov. 12, Sequim took the first game but saw the lead slip away in a four-game loss to Fife — echoing Sequim’s four-game loss to the Trojans in the district quarterfinals.
“We knew we had to work hard to finish (at the state tourney,” senior co-captain Maddie Potts said. “I didn’t doubt we’d be here.”
The loss prevented Sequim (17-6) from placing at the state meet for the first time since 2002, when they finished eighth.
In the opener, Archbishop Murphy set the tone early before Sequim could mount a consistent attack and won going away, 25-3, 25-17 and 25-23.
“The first game (it seemed) we stood there and watched them hit,” Sequim coach Jennie Webber Heilman said.
“When we decided to play against Archbishop Murphy, we did.”
Ella Christiansen and Jadyn Overby-Morginson led the Wolves’ attack with five kills apiece and Balkan added nine assists. Haggerty was 12-for-12 serving with two aces. She had two blocks and a team-high five digs.
Against Orting, the Wolves jumped out to a two-game lead, faltered a bit on their serves in a third-game loss before winning a back-and-forth fourth game (25-20, 25-15, 20-25 and 25-22).
“We should have beat Orting and we did,” Webber Heilman said. “I’m just glad they didn’t collapse. I just want them to play their best in the end.”
Haggerty led the charge with 16 kills, six blocks and three aces while Christiansen added 12 kills and a pair of blocks.
“We’re definitely the underdogs here, but we fight,” Haggerty said after the win against Orting.
She noted Sequim’s leadership and positivity helped the Wolves rebound from the game three loss to close out the Cardinals.
“(With seven seniors) we have a bit of an advantage than other teams,” Haggerty said. “We have a lot of leaders and we all work together.”
Balkan was a perfect 25-for-25 from the service line and combined with Lillian Oden for 28 assists. Tayler Breckenridge and libero Isabelle Dennis paced the defense, combining for 31 digs. Breckenridge also had a pair of blocks.
Fife spoiled Sequim’s bid for a medal the next day, winning 24-26, 25-23, 25-21, 25-10.
Haggerty had team-highs with 13 kills and six blocks while Balkan was 17-for-17 on serves with 20 digs and 14 assists.
Breckenridge paced the defense with 31 digs and added seven kills and two blocks.
Oden had 12 assists and Potts had two aces in the loss.
“We played very well until the third game when we could not pass the ball or hit it in the court,” Webber Heilman said. “We were ahead 19-7 and lost and never did recover.”
The Wolves posted the most wins since their 2012 campaign (19).
“Team chemistry, even off the court (was key this season),” Potts said. “We say ‘family’ a lot but we really are a family. Since we’ve been playing together for so long, there’s not a lot of awkwardness. We know where people are (on the court); that helps.”
Tumwater took the class 2A state title, with Woodland taking second, Archbishop Murphy third, White River fourth, Burlington-Edison fifth, Ridgefield sixth, North Kitsap seventh and Fife eighth.
