No question the Edmonds-Woodway volleyball team has the firepower.
First-team, all-league junior Cailin Fellows and second-team, all-league senior Erin Lauber should be among the league’s top offensive threats.
The question heading into the season is their supporting cast, which is somewhat younger than head coach Mike Pittis thought it was going to be.
Sophomore Leigh Fishback slides into the starting setter role. She was on the junior varsity team last season.
“Leah set during the summer,” Pittis said. “She’s really stepping up to that next level and running multiple offenses. I’m really pleased with her progress. She’s a really solid setter with great hands.”
But Fishback still is getting to know her teammates and where they like to have the ball, Pittis added.
Fellows, an outside hitter, continues to improve her game.
“She’s got the quickest arm swing I’ve ever coached,” Pittis said. “She’s just very quick. She jumps well. She’s really learning to read the floor and see where things are … she loves to compete.”
Lauber, the team captain, also had made significant progress each year. She might be the Warriors’ top defensive player.
“She’s a very strong blocker,” Pittis said. “She has really developed that aspect of her game. She probably reads the floor the best of any of the players.”
Junior Marisa Wellington saw playing time as a sophomore. She’s added a nice jump serve to repertoire, Pittis noted. Junior libero Alex Storino is the other player with varsity experience.
Several younger players are expected to contribute. Five freshmen played on JV last season and four of them — Fishback, Michelle Nelson, Hannah Lauber (Erin’s younger sister) and Haley Scott — moved up to varsity.
If the summer is any indicator of the future, Edmonds-Woodway should be fine despite the youth.
Most of the players attended the Western Washington University and King’s tournaments. The Warriors beat the Knights in the finals at Western.
“We’re younger than I had anticipated but we’ve been practicing really well,” Pittis said. “It’s just now kind of the younger kids getting some experience at the next level and getting used to the speed of the game.”
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