Volleyball: Wolves net key wins vs. Bulldogs, Buc

Olympic League standings

(as of Oct. 1)

Team Lg. Over.

North Kitsap 6-0 7-0

Sequim 5-1 7-1

Kingston 4-2 5-3

North Mason 3-3 4-3

Olympic 2-4 2-6

Bremerton 1-5 2-5

Port Angeles 0-6 0-7

Sequim passed a big mid-season test with wins over a pair of playoff contenders last week, capped off with a four-set win over rival Kingston on Sept. 27.

Tayler Breckenridge had 13 kills, Jayle Julmist had eight blocks, and Brittany Gale added 24 digs and 18 assists in a 25-21, 25-19, 19-25, 26-24 win over the host Buccaneers, helping the Wolves slip past the Bucs into second place behind North Kitsap in the league standings.

Julmist and Kalli Wiker combined for seven of Sequim’s 11 aces. Julmist had seven kills and Latisha Robideau had five, while teammate Isabelle Dennis bolstered the defense with 23 digs.

On Sept. 25, Sequim got a push from the visiting North Mason Bulldogs but survived a five-set victory (25-19, 24-26, 25-17, 15-25, 15-3) with a dominating fifth game effort.

“It was kind of like we woke up in that last game. We were kind of flat,” said coach Jennie Webber-Heilman.

Webber-Heilman said that final game was tight until Annika Christensen served four straight points, then Wiker ended the match with eight points in a row.

Wiker ended up serving 24-for-24 with four aces.

Webber-Heilman described North Mason as a “scrappy, unorthodox team” that liked to hit the ball deep. She said that in that fourth game, the Wolves were not playing well.

“We couldn’t pass, nothing was going our way. It was nice we came out strong (in game five),” Webber-Heilman said.

“We battled and luckily came out on the good side of it,” she said.

Wiker also had 14 assists and 15 digs.

Gale served 15-for-16 with 23 assists and a team-high 26 digs.

Despite fighting a cold, Breckenridge had 23 kills, 16 digs and three blocks, while Julmist paced the defense eight blocks and eight kills. Dennis had 18 digs and Bobbi Sparks added nine.

Looking ahead

The Wolves were slated to take on struggling rival Port Angeles on Oct. 2.

Sequim hosts Bremerton on Oct. 4 and is at Olympic on Oct. 9 before a showdown with league-leading North Kitsap at home on Oct. 11.

Sequim’s Kalli WIker, center, makes a play on a ball in the Wolves’ five-set win over North Mason on Sept. 25. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Sequim’s Brittany Gale (6) and Jayla Julmist (30) look to block a shot against North Mason on Sept. 25. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Sequim senior Brittany Gale rears back for a big hit as the Wolves host North Mason on Sept. 25. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Sequim’s Brittany Gale, left, and Arlene look to block a shot by North Mason hitter Hannah Fredrickson in a Sept. 25 Olympic League match-up. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash