Panthers Journey at State Volleyball Tournament
Written by Callie Harwood, Former Student on Thursday, November 21, 2013
This past weekend, the SHS volleyball team competed at the WIAA state tournament at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington. The last time the Panthers made it to state was 2010, so this was very exciting to many of the players. The girls had a lot of momentum going into the tournament after winning the district championship for the first time in SHS history.
The first opponent they faced was on Friday against Wenatchee. Alongside an excellent fan base that the router bus brought in, the Panthers came out strong and won the first match 25-17. They lost the second match, but were able to come back and win the next two matches in order to beat Wenatchee. Highlights of the game included captain Senior Lanesha Reagan’s 18 kills, four aces, and 18 digs, Senior Emma McNeil’s 24 assists, Sophomore Maddy Smith’s eight kills and four blocks, and Sophomore Cyrene Hertzog’s 21 digs. “It was a completely different environment, we had a lot of fans and it was a lot of fun,” said Reagan about the game.
The Panthers then took on the No. 1 ranked team in the state, Bellarmine Prep later that night. Snohomish was ranked No. 4 in state going into the match, so this was going to call for a close game. Unfortunately, the Lions were too much for the Panthers to handle, losing in just three matches. Reagan had 16 kills, 12 digs, and one ace in the game. However, the tournament was double elimination so the Panthers still had a chance.
Next the girls faced Camas in a loser-out match Saturday morning. Snohomish got off to a slow start, losing the first two games. But things began to look more hopeful when the Panthers battled back to win the third match. At this point anyone could’ve won, but Camas was able to end the close rally and beat the Panthers by only two points in the fourth match. Reagan had 24 kills, 18 digs, two aces, and two blocks, Hertzog had 24 digs and two aces, Sophomore Kyla Mellick had eight kills and two aces, and McNeil had 21 assists in the game.
This game brought the girls’ successful season to an end. “It was the best season yet, our team became a family and we had so much fun together,” said Senior co-captain, Kayla Grundl.
This tournament marked Mellick’s first state appearance, “It was a fun experience to have and share with the team. I can’t wait to go there next year!” said Mellick. In other words, future seasons for the Panther volleyball team look promising.
