Nelson catches fire, sparks Marysville Pilchuck

Published 11:06 pm Thursday, October 9, 2014

MARYSVILLE — When Marysville Pilchuck head volleyball coach Brittany Fitzmaurice talks about freshman outside hitter Bailey Nelson, it’s hard not to notice the smile on her face.

That smile grew a little wider on Thursday.

Nelson finished with 20 kills to lead Marysville Pilchuck to a five-set victory over Glacier Peak. Set scores were 19-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-16 and 16-4.

The Tomahawks rallied from a set down twice before dominating the final set, scoring the first five points and 10 of the first 12. Nelson capped off the victory with an ace on the final point.

“They’ve been so nervous all season,” Fitzmaurice said of her team. “They’re just getting a feel for the teams. I think once they built up a little confidence they finally realized that they can hang in there, with any team, and they just went for it.”

Fitzmaurice credits Nelson’s energy and her impact on the match with helping calm the nerves of her teammates.

“Bailey Nelson has been a huge firestarter,” Fitzmaurice said. “She gets one kill and she really gets the girls rallied up together and once they get that type of energy, it doesn’t stop. It’s contagious, and that really was huge for us tonight.”

Nelson started slowly in the first set. Many of her early kill attempts were wide or long and she appeared frustrated. Glacier Peak took advantage by winning the first set 25-19.

As the match progressed, however, Nelson found a rhythm and took over offensively at times.

“She wants it so bad and she works so hard that sometimes the little things can really get to her head, but it was just one simple thing with her and once she corrected it, she was on it. She killed everything else. It was great.”

The Tomahawks’ offense was much sharper than it was on Tuesday when Marysville Pilchuck was defeated 3-1 by Edmonds-Woodway.

“We really worked on making a better connection with our setters and hitters this match,” Fitzmaurice said. “Our defense was all on and they all worked very well together.”

Marysville Pilchuck knotted up the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 win in game two. They carried that momentum into the third set where they never trailed until the final few points. Just as Glacier Peak did in the first set, it rallied late to win 26-24 and move within one set of a victory.

It’s as close as the Grizzlies got. The Tomahawks dominated the final two sets.

Glacier Peak came into the match with just one league loss thanks in large part to the Grizzlies’ two starting middle blockers, 6-foot-4 sophomore Lauren Sanders and 6-foot-1 senior Morgan Doyle.

“This was a huge match,” Fitzmaurice said. “We’ve heard all about Glacier Peak all season and we were really nervous coming into it. We didn’t know what to expect. There’s been a lot of talk about their middle (Sanders), obviously she’s a solid player. We were nervous, but (the win) was huge. Obviously, the girls are all really excited and they gave it absolutely everything they had.”

Sanders led the Grizzlies with 13 kills and 41/2 blocks and Doyle added seven kills and 31/2 blocks.

Fitzmaurice said her team’s offense kept Sanders and Doyle from being as effective as they could have been.

“Usually (the Grizzlies’ height) would a huge concern of mine, but we’ve been working on running such a fast offense that we were just meeting the ball before she could get there,” Fitzmaurice said. “I think that’s really what gave us the advantage.”

Nelson said the Tomahawks’ focus was never on the opponent, but always on themselves.

“We went in knowing to play our game and doing our best and not worrying about the other team and knowing what we can do,” Nelson said. “We just went out there and we took it.”

At Marysville Pilchuck H.S.

Glacier Peak252226164—2

Marysville Pilchuck1925242515—3

Highlights—Glacier Peak: Natalie Rasmussen 26 digs; Mikala Pratt four aces, 15 assists; Sara McNaughton 15 assists; Morgan Doyle seven kills 31/2 blocks; Lauren Sanders 13 kills, 41/2 blocks; Rachael Gitness 13 digs. Marysville Pilchuck: Bailey Nelson 20 kills; Kendal McCoy 23 digs; Courtney Fitzmaurice 25 assists; Lindsey English. Records—Glacier Peak 5-2 league, 5-4 overall. Marysville Pilchuck 4-3, 6-3.