Team Washington wins volleyball gold at Special Olympics

SEATTLE — After the ball fell to the floor for the match-winning point, Team Washington’s players raised their arms in jubilation and exchanged celebratory hugs and high-fives.

After a two-year journey of hard work and success, the Special Olympics volleyball standouts from Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties are national champions.

Team Washington capped an unblemished run at the Special Olympics USA Games with a 25-20, 25-20 win over Michigan in the traditional volleyball gold-medal match Friday morning in front of an enthusiastic crowd inside the University of Washington’s Intramural Activities Building.

“I was in tears,” said Team Washington athlete Marcus Hall, a 47-year-old from Marysville. “I had a tear in my eye during the game and during the final point. … It was just awesome.”

The Washington traditional volleyball team sweeps Michigan 25-20, 25-20 to win gold at the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle.

Team Washington includes five players from Snohomish County: Stacey Conser, Andrea Hall, Marcus Hall, Jeff Kirby and Roland Kirby. pic.twitter.com/BdR9VUJRiT

— Cameron Van Til (@CameronVanTil) July 6, 2018

Team Washington, also known as Northwest Set, features an age range of 23 to 55 and includes five players from Snohomish County. The team was formed two years ago as Special Olympics volleyball began making a resurgence at the state level. They trained once or twice per week, even while participating in other sports.

Northwest Set punched its ticket to nationals by winning this past December’s state tournament — the first Special Olympics volleyball competition at the state level in more than a decade.

The team then continued its success at this week’s USA Games, the premier national competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Northwest Set won all eight of its matches and 16 of 17 sets.

“We’ve accomplished so much in two years,” Hall said. “It’s like we were building from the ground up. It was exhausting and fun at the same time. It was really, really awesome.”

Much like Northwest Set’s three-set win over Michigan in Monday’s pool-play contest, the gold-medal rematch was a competitive affair. Northwest Set trailed early in the opening frame and throughout the first half of the second set, but pulled away in both frames for the title-clinching sweep.

“We had a lot of guys supporting (each other),” Northwest Set and longtime Special Olympics coach Randy Geoghegan said. “Somebody would get down, and the guys would always rally around him and pick him up.”

Among the team’s 10 members are local athletes Jeff Kirby (Everett), Roland Kirby (Marysville), Marcus Hall, Andrea Hall (Marysville) and Stacey Conser (Lynnwood).

The Kirby brothers each have been competing in Special Olympics for more than 40 years. Marcus has competed for 25 years and Conser for 15. Many of the team members have played with or against each other for years in a variety of sports.

“My teammates, man, they’re just amazing,” said Roland, the team captain. “They play their positions well (and) they know what to do. They’re an inspiration to me.”

Northwest Set received an assist from members of the Burlington-Edison High School volleyball squad, which won the Class 2A state title last November.

Spurred by an idea from Geoghegan, Burlington-Edison players have been attending Northwest Set practices for months, working with the athletes on the technical aspects of the game. The two teams even squared off in an exhibition charity match that drew approximately 400 spectators and raised money for Special Olympics.

“A big part of (what) these guys did was the girls showing them how to properly bump it, the two-hand sets, the spikes and all that stuff,” Geoghegan said. “… They basically run our practices. I just carried the equipment.”

Several Burlington-Edison players were on hand throughout the week to cheer on Northwest Set at the USA Games.

“They were a big inspiration to us,” Roland said. “They’ve been a big part of this.”

Edmonds woman wins another gold

Colleen Bryant claimed her second gold medal of the USA Games, winning the top female division of the 1,500-meter run with a time of 5 minutes, 55.85 seconds.

The Edmonds distance-running standout also won gold in Monday’s female 5,000-meter run. Bryant has completed eight marathons and is sponsored by Brooks Running Company.

Christopher Linnell, of Lynnwood, earned a bronze medal in the 1,500-meter run. He placed third out of five runners in his division with a time of 7:08.94.