The Rangers roared into the Sea-Tac League 1B Volleyball Playoffs this weekend, but a rough ride was waiting for Quilcene in their matchup with Evergreen Lutheran.
The Eagles outlasted the Rangers …
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The Rangers roared into the Sea-Tac League 1B Volleyball Playoffs this weekend, but a rough ride was waiting for Quilcene in their matchup with Evergreen Lutheran.
The Eagles outlasted the Rangers 3-1 in a battle that saw multiple lead changes and slim margins across every set.
The tone for the competition was set with the first set, with Evergreen Lutheran simply outlasting Quilcene, 25-23.
The Rangers played their most dominate volleyball of the day in the second set, moving ahead by six, 15-9, before pulling away for the 25-13 victory.
The Eagles came out strong in the crucial third set, forging a 9-2 advantage before the Rangers settled down and crossed the double-digit mark.
Evergreen Lutheran, however, started to pull away, moving ahead again by seven points, 20-13. The Rangers cut into the Eagles’ lead, but not quickly enough, as Evergreen Lutheran held on to take the third set, 25-20.
The fourth set was a frantic back-and-forth affair, with multiple ties and lead changes.
The competition was knotted early at 7-7, until the Eagles started to pull away, leading by six points, 17-11.
Quilcene had no quit in it, however.
The Rangers pulled to within five points, 23-18, then narrowed the gap to 23-21.
The Eagles flirted with the finish, moving to 24-22, when the Rangers pulled to 24-23, then tied the set at 24-24.
With serving, the Rangers went ahead, 25-24, before the Eagles regrouped, tied the game at 25-all, then escaped with the 28-26 victory.
The teamwork showed up in the end, said Quilcene Coach Joni Crowell.
“I think that they improved a lot this season and started to learn how to play as a team,” she said.
“They were together; they worked really hard, until the end,” Crowell added.
With a team with just two seniors on the roster, expectations this year were tampered.
This year’s team included Abigail Ward, Stormie Elkins, Justice Ortlieb, Ashley Jones, Jayden Talley, Anna Munn, Emery Reimann, Rhiannon Chapman, Sierra Graunke, Savannah McBride, Kaetyn Riley, Charlotte Fay, Anna Sarnes, and Brianne Evans.
“We kinda knew it was going to be a building year, because we have several girls who’ve never really started before.
“And a lot of people in new positions,” Crowell said. “But they really played very well; they improved all season.”
“They really showed a lot of growth this season.”
