It took four matches and a five-game thriller, but Sequim’s Wolves are headed back to the class 2A state tournament.
Sequim survived two loser-out consolation bracket matches and edged Washington High in the consolation final at the West Central District tournament in Tacoma on Nov. 4-5.
The Wolves move on to the state tourney, held at St. Martin’s University in Lacey, Nov. 11-12.
The Wolves (15-3) open the 16-team tourney at 11 a.m. Friday against No. 2-ranked Archbishop Murphy (18-0).
It’s the ninth time in coach Jennie Webber Heilman’s 24-year head coaching career she’s taken Sequim to state, but the first time she’s led the team to back-to-back state tournaments. Last season, Sequim went also 3-1 at districts and 0-2 at state.
The Wolves look to earn a spot on the medal stand (top eight) for the first time since 2002.
District roller-coaster
Sequim opened districts with a three-game sweep of Clover Park, winning 25-13, 25-15, 25-19.
Ella Christiansen led the Wolves with 11 kills, Sydney Balkan had five aces and 13 assists, and Tayler Breckenridge added four kills and 12 digs.
Adrienne Haggerty added a team-high 13 digs and Jadyn Overby-Morginson had five kills and three assists.
It was Balkan leading the way early, powering Sequim to a 9-0 lead in the first game that set the match’s tone.
“We overpowered Clover Park with our tough serving,” Webber Heilman said, as Sequim was 66-of-71 (93 percent) from the service line.
In game two, 2A powerhouse Fife — who went on to finish second in districts — topped Sequim in four games (25-15, 14-25, 25-12, 25-21).
“Fife was a strong-hitting team so we needed to get more blocks and play stronger defense to pick up the back row attacks,” Webber Heilman said.
Balkan, who was 20-of-22 serving with six aces, had a 13-point run to lead Sequim in the second game. She also had 17 assists.
Haggerty had a personal-best 17 kills in the loss, with Christiansen adding nine. Maddie Potts led the defense with 12 digs and Lillian Oden added 15 assists and 15-of-16 on serves.
“This was one of the best matches we played this season; it was a great team effort,” Webber Heilman said.
With the loss, Sequim was moved to the consolation bracket needing — and getting — two wins to advance to state.
In the first consolation game, the Wolves matched up with a familiar foe in the Olympic Trojans, a team they’d beaten in three games apiece twice this season. This time around the Trojans won one game but the Wolves prevailed in four (25-21, 25-16, 22-25, 25-18).
Haggerty led the way with 12 kills and 19 digs, both team-highs. Christiansen had nine kills, Balkan added 21 assists and 16 digs, and Breckenridge chipped in five kills and 11 digs. Oden added nine assists.
“Sydney and Lillian … were getting our hitters some great sets to swing at,” Webber Heilman said.
That set up the consolation final against Washington’s Patriots, who came in off a four-game win against Kingston. In a seesaw battle, Sequim took the first and third games, Washington the second and fourth, before the Wolves — despite missing four serves in a row — closed out the match in the deciding fifth game, 15-9.
“Our girls basically wore out Washington by hustling and keeping the ball in play in the fifth game,” Webber Heilman said.
Haggerty had 18 kills, 24 digs and six blocks, each team highs. Balkan and Oden combined for 40 assists, Christiansen added 12 kills and five blocks, and libero Isabelle Dennis added a personal-best 19 digs.
“Isabelle had some great defense during all the games,” Webber Heilman said.
Tourney notes
No. 7-ranked White River went 3-0 to take the West Central District title, topping Fife in the three games. Olympic League champ North Kitsap, ranked No. 9 in the state, went 3-1 and placed third. Orting was fourth.
Sequim and Steilacoom, the other district tournament consolation final winner, placed fifth and sixth.
The last time Sequim earned-back-to-back state tournament appearances was in the 1980s, when coach Mike Hanson led the team to four consecutive berths (1983-1986), placing second in 1983 and third in 1985.
