Lake Stevens volleyball loses season opener to Curtis

LAKE STEVENS — It was the purple and white Vikings versus the blue and white Vikings for the Lake Stevens High School volleyball team’s season opener on Wednesday night.

Lake Stevens was 1-1 against Curtis since 2022, and with the c-team and JV having won their matches earlier in the evening, it was possible the Vikings could begin the season with wins from all three teams.

However, Curtis had different plans as they downed the 2023 Class 3A fourth-place finishers and 2022 runners-up on the road in straight sets: 25-19, 25-20 and 25-18.

“Both teams are great teams,” Lake Stevens coach Kyle Hoglund said. “Curtis already has one match under their belt, so that makes it a little favor for them. We came out, we played alright, we got some things we got to work on and clean up. But overall, we’re right there.”

Lake Stevens junior outside hitter Laura Eichert registered 18 kills, six digs and two aces, freshman defensive specialist Audrey Iseminger eight digs and one ace and senior opposite hitter Mia Turner four kills.

“We were pretty scrappy on defense, and I really liked that. We were really going for it,” Eichert said. “We had some really good swings. … It was pretty good for our first game. … We knew they’re a really strong team. Last year, we missed a lot of serves against them, so we came in knowing we had to win the service battle, and so I know we did really well with that.”

Curtis (2-0) maintained a consistent four-six-point lead throughout much of the first set; Lake Stevens only came to within one point when the score was 8-7. The momentum switched in the second set momentarily when Lake Stevens gained as much as an 8-3 lead until Curtis retook control at 13-12 and didn’t let up. In the third set, Lake Stevens and Curtis traded points. Curtis had a 16-10 lead until Lake Stevens rallied back and notched four points to get to within two. Curtis then went on a six-point stretch, eventually securing the final few points.

“(Tonight) was a lot about building as a team and getting the trust — like playing next to different people, since there’s (three) freshman coming in — and building a connection with them to know how they play and know how they like feedback,” Eichert said. “It’s our first game, so it’s a little rocky, but I think it was a really good learning opportunity for us.”

Lake Stevens has qualified for the state tournament the past three years but is also 0-3 in the District 1/2 championship game. The Vikings look to win their eighth-straight Wesco 4A title and make another deep run into the postseason. There are three seniors on the team, same as last year, which gives the squad a mix of veteran talent and young energy.

“We don’t settle for anything other than wanting to win the state title,” Hoglund said. “That’s what it is, and there’s a lot of work that’s put into it. … Anything less is not what we’re after.”

Lake Stevens’ next match is against Eastlake on Sept. 12.