Volleyball recap

Odd is the best word to describe the 2013 Oak Harbor varsity volleyball season.  The girls started out by losing their first six matches, but won the last two to get the #7 seed in the District Tournament.

Once in the post season, the Wildcats came alive.  After winning a hard-fought 3-2 match against Meadowdale in the first round, the 'Cats were hot in the 2nd round, whipping Everett 3-0 (Oak Harbor had lost to both teams 3-0 in the regular season).  The win over Everett put the Wildcats in the District 1 championship match, and while they played hard, the girls fell to Ferndale 3-1.  With the loss, the 'Cats were the #2 seed from District 1 in the  State tournament, held last weekend at St. Martin's University in Lacey.

At the State Tournament opened, Oak Harbor jumped into the Volleyball Coaches final rankings, ending at #9.  The first match was against #10 Eastside Catholic (#6 in the Seattle Times).  It was a huge match, and the Wildcats pulled out a 3-2 to advance.

Round 2 was against #1 ranked Southridge, and the Wildcats were swept 3-0, putting them in the consolation bracket, but still in the hunt for some hardware.

Round 3 was Saturday morning against #6 Shadle Park (Times #3), and although there were some breath-holding moments during the match, Oak Harbor swept the Spokane team 3-0 to set up one final match for 5th place.  This match was Saturday evening against a familiar foe - Meadowdale.  Yep, the two teams were meeting for the 3rd time this season, with the winner getting 5th and the loser 6th. Meadowdale dominated in the first set, topping Oak Harbor 25-12, but the 'Cats recovered and won the 2nd set 25-17.  Set 3 went to the wire with Meadowdale winning 25-20, then the Mavericks took the final set 25-18 for the 3-1 win.

While the Wildcats are losing some strong players to graduation, they are only losing 3 - Deanna Ruben, Makenna Martyn and Kayleigh Harper.  There will be lots of skill and experience coming back next year.

Congratulations on a great season!

Photos from the Everett match at the District Tournament are posted HERE.

Photos from the State Tournament match vs Shadle Park are posted HERE.



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