MARYSVILLE — The Shorewood High School volleyball team squeezed past Meadowdale on Thursday night behind a key rally in the third set.
The Stormrays took down the Mavericks in four sets by scores of 25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-14 in a Class 3A District 1 tournament semifinal game at Marysville Pilchuck High School.
With the win, the Shorewood locked in its first trip to the state tournament since 2016 and date with Lynnwood in the district title game.
“We have eight seniors on our squad this year and lofty, lofty goals for those eight girls and the team at large,” Shorewood head coach Brittney Hunter said. “They started off with high hopes of making it to state this year, and win by win they’ve gotten to this point today. They’ve had their ups and downs, but there’s a lot of perseverance in this group.”
Outside hitter Stella Foley, a 5-foot-11 senior, hung up a game-high 22 kills, added four aces and was the main propeller that kept Shorewood afloat in the pivotal third set. Hannah Wu added 39 assists, while Emma Okamura finished with a team-high 17 digs.
The second-seeded Stormrays (18-2) trailed 16-10 in the heat of the third set with the match tied at 1-1 before going on run. They used a 10-2 spurt to take a 20-18 lead, with Foley drilling down back-to-back kills to bring the Stormrays even at 17-17.
Shorewood’s Harper Lara-Kerr bumps the ball during a Class 3A District 1 volleyball match against Meadowdale on Thursday at Marysville Pilchuck High School in Marysville. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
After the third-seeded Mavericks (13-6) retaliated with a 4-0 run to take a 22-20 advantage, it was fellow Shorewood senior Harper Lara-Kerr who came up with an important block to put Shorewood back ahead 24-22 as it went on to seal the set.
“Stella is the leader of the pack and all the girls will take their emotional queues from her,” Hunter said. “She has one of the most competitive drives I’ve ever seen from a high school player. She really drives the team with her passion on the court, same with Harper (Lara-Kerr). … When she gets that fire going, she’s another spark for this team and the other girls just follow suit.”
The Stormrays jumped out to a 12-7 lead and cruised to a 25-14 victory in the final set.
“I thought that we lost our composure,” Meadowdale head coach Bart Foley said. “I thought we had them against the ropes in the second set. … I have to give Shorewood credit. They created that pressure that led to us losing our composure.”
Sophomore outside hitter Violet DuBois supplied nine kills and 11 digs, and Ja’elle Jenkins pitched in 10 kills for Meadowdale, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Mavericks third-set falter.
Two Meadowdale blockers successfully make a stop during a Class 3A District 1 volleyball match against Shorewood on Thursday at Marysville Pilchuck High School in Marysville. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bart Foley had an understanding of the talent offered from Shorewood, and his daughter (Stella Foley) ended up being the catalyst for the Stormrays state-clinching performance.
“I don’t think I’ve ever watch an opponent’s team more than I have Shorewood,” Bart Foley said. “Because when we don’t have a match, I’m watching her. So we were ready for everything they did. There was no surprises, but we just couldn’t stop it. … I’m super proud of her, I’ve coached her for her whole life and always new she could become this kind of player. It’s fun to see her put it all together, (but) I wish it didn’t come down to this in the first place.”
Shorewood will square off with top-seeded Lynnwood in the 3A district title game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Marysville Pilchuck. Meadowdale will continue in the consolation bracket with a winner-to-state, loser-out match against No. 9 Oak Harbor on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the same location.
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