Warriors looking for more balance

Published 8:07 am Thursday, September 9, 2010

It’s going to take a little bit of tinkering if Edmonds-Woodway is going to earn a third straight trip to the Class 4A state volleyball tournament.

The Warriors lost about 70 percent of their offense with the graduation of Cailen Fellows and Marisa Wellington. Edmonds-Woodway coach Mike Pittis expects to see a little more balance on the offensive end, which is his preference.

Pittis saw his team in action for the first time at last Saturday’s Edmonds District jamboree.

“We played better as the day went along,” he said. “I tried a lot of different combinations.”

Also graduating last year was defensive specialist Alex Storino.

“At this point, it’s probably a little better than expected,” Pittis said of how the Warriors were shaping up. “We’ve got four kids, four outside hitters. They’ve all shown me some good things.”

Senior Ashley Yeh is a varsity returner, though she spent more time in the back row than in the front row.

“She’s a very, very good defensive player,” Pittis said.

Moving up from the junior varsity squad is senior Shannon Riley, who helped the Warriors win the Wesco junior varsity tournament. She also is a strong defensive player with a nice jump serve. Riley has improved her hitting consistency, Pittis said.

The other two outside hitters are junior Ashley Kelly-Norling and freshman Miah Dirrell. Pittis noted that Dirrell is probably the strongest hitter of the four.

Back for her third season as setter is senior Leigh Fishback. Other starters back include middle blocker Hannah Lauber, opposite Haley Scott and middle blocker Katy Olson. The three co-captains are among seven seniors on the roster, the most Edmonds-Woodway has had in many years.

“We’ve got four kids that started with us last year,” Pittis said. “That’s a real big advantage.”

The challenge is to work the other kids in there and find the right combinations, Pittis added.

Coming off of back-to-back appearance at state and going undefeated in the Western Conference South Division were major accomplishments for the Warriors. The confidence level among the returning players is high even with the loss of Fellows and Wellington. Having a large number of seniors helps.

“We’ve got to establish a new identity of who we are,” Pittis said. “They’ve had a lot of success. It’s their turn to take over the leadership role and see what they can do in terms of direction.

“I really like the chemistry. I’m not used to having that many seniors.”

The success the Warriors experienced at district the last two years should bolster their postseason prospects.

“We’ve got kids who’ve been there,” Pittis said. “It will be a real benefit. … It would be great for these kids to get to go back to state again.”

Here is a look at the other three Edmonds District teams.

Lynnwood

The Royals are carrying 12 players on the varsity roster, an increase from previous seasons. The reason is a wealth of talent.

“I’ve got good depth,” Lynnwood coach Jean Kellogg said. “Some young kids are picking up the game fast. We’re still meshing with that.”

None of the 12 Royals play on the same club team, so much of practice and Saturday’s jamboree was spent on getting to know each other’s tendencies a little better.

“We’re in good shape in all the positions,” Kellogg said.

The top returner is senior Jessika Barlow, a first-team, all-league standout. Also back is senior setter Laycee Hill, and sophomore Mokum Fajemisin, a basketball standout. This is Hill’s third season setting for the Royals.

Other key players include senior Jordan Krubally and Jessica Barlow.

“I think our biggest strength is our chemistry,” Kellogg said. “It’s a wonderful group of 12 kids. … I think our potential for this season is wonderful, much stronger than last year.

“We’re definitely going to be competitive.”

Meadowdale

The Mavericks looked good at Saturday’s jamboree, winning four of six games against their district rivals.

Coach Machen Shrum enters the season with only 10 on the varsity roster, while she waits to see who else might be ready for varsity action.

Seven players are back from last year’s team, though only senior setter Megan Nelson and senior Alexa Cannon saw significant playing time. Other key players include junior Lindsey Milner, sophomore Payton Shrum and senior Jessica Yi.

Shrum was interested to see how the new lineup would fare at the jamboree and she wasn’t disappointed.

“What I was really happy with was the blocking, especially on our right side,” Shrum said. “Alexis Cannon and Payton were really strong. That was a nice surprise.”

The Western Conference South Division looks to be up for grabs with Kamiak looking to be the top team. Shrum is hoping the Mavericks will be able to crack the top three.

“All the teams lost some critical people,” Shrum said. “I feel like we have a really good shot at being in the top three of Wesco South.”

Meadowdale advanced to the Class 3A state tournament last year and is aiming for another appearance there.

“We’re hoping to gain experience at the state level,” Shrum said.

Mountlake Terrace

The Hawks suffered a little bit of a setback with the loss of sophomore Leah Lechtenberg, who recently underwent shoulder surgery.

Coach Marietta Snyder isn’t sure when or if Lechtenberg will be back this season.

“She’s really hoping to come back and help the team,” Snyder said.

Mountlake Terrace was heading into the season with high expectations after finishing second at the Western Washington University camp.

The Hawks return senior setter Christine Jensen and senior defensive specialist Stephanie McGee. Other standouts include sophomore Chysandra Dresser, senior Kaitlyn Hatch, junior Cristine Lotz and senior Raechel Pendergraft.

“I think our defense is a lot stronger than last year,” Snyder said. “Our hitting is getting there.”

Junior Stephanie McGrath and junior Samuelson are both strong outside hitters, Snyder added.

Newcomer sophomore April King will bolster the defense.

“My expectations back in July after the (Western Washington) tournament were really high,” Snyder said. “I think we’ll still do pretty well. Everyone is going for the goal of going to state. I think they have the capability of getting there.”