Sequim Gazette staff

With an eye on at least a share of the Olympic League crown, Sequim kept pace with league-leading North Kitsap with a pair of wins last week.

Following a 3-0 sweep of Kingston on Oct. 14, Sequim honored their six seniors on Senior Night by giving them ample playing time against rival Port Angeles on Oct. 16, a Sequim victory in straight sets (25-18, 25-18, 25-10).

Alyse Armstrong led Sequim with eight kills, eight assists and four blocks; Emily Wallner added 14 assists and was 23-of-25 serving with a team-high four aces. Both Wallner and fellow senior Judi Villella have five kills apiece. Senior Emma LeBlanc was 19-for-19 serving with two aces and 24 digs.

“We were kind of going through the motions (for a while),” Sequim coach Jennie Webber Heilman said of Sequim’s relatively slow start in the first game against Port Angeles, which is second-to-last in the league.

“We needed to just start hitting the ball,” Webber Heilman said. “Our goal is to get better whenever we play, regardless of who we play.”

The wins kept Sequim (8-1 in Olympic League play, 10-1 overall) just a game back of the Vikings (8-0, 10-0) heading into their Oct. 21 showdown in Poulsbo.

If Sequim finishes in the top two league spots by season’s end, Webber Heilman said, the Wolves will host the league tournament. As league champs, North Kitsap normally would host the postseason seeding tourney, but a scheduling conflict — one similar to last year’s situation that gave Sequim the league tourney site — puts the league’s top four teams in Sequim’s Rick Kaps gymnasium on Nov. 1.

Following the North Kitsap match, Sequim is at Bremerton on Oct. 27 and caps the regular season with an Oct. 28 match at Olympic.

All four Olympic League teams advancing to the league tourney move on to the West Central District tournament, set for Nov. 7-8.

Six of the 16 teams from Olympic, South Puget Sound, Seamount and KingCo leagues advance to the class 2A state tournament.

2A Olympic League standings (as of Oct. 20)

Team Lg.      Over.

North Kitsap 8-0      10-0

Sequim 8-1     10-1

Olympic 6-2       6-5

Bremerton 4-5       4-6

North Mason 2-6       4-7

Port Angeles 1-8       1-10

Kingston 0-8       0-9