Meadowdale volleyball coach Machen Shrum’s first season with the Mavericks was a memorable one.
For the first time in eight years, Meadowdale advanced to the district tournament and the Mavericks weren’t just content to make a brief appearance.
Meadowdale posted victories over Mount Vernon and Ferndale but eventually was eliminated from the tournament by Mount Vernon 25-15, 25-17, 25-20 in a Nov. 4 loser-out match at Ferndale High School.
“The whole district tournament I thought we played fantastic,” Shrum said. “We had been having a learning season and the fact that once we got to district we were able to turn it around and win some big games.
“I felt our team took a big step and learned how to fight through and win.”
Mount Vernon got the better of Meadowdale in the rematch in part because of some passing deficiencies.
“We didn’t pass the ball very well,” Shrum said. “If you can’t pass the ball, you can’t do anything else. We were thrilled to have taken it as far as we did.”
The Mavericks, the Wesco’s No. 4 seed, didn’t come in with any pressure and viewed themselves as underdogs.
“I felt like they were loose and relaxed all three days,” Shrum said.
Shrum is looking forward to next year with the return of most of this year’s players.
Key returners include junior setter Katie Cowan, sophomore Lynsey Rohrbach and junior Florence Dalos.
“We’ve got a lot of returning experience,” Shrum said. “They got that district experience under their belt.”
Meadowdale will have to replace senior leaders Allie Demopoulos and Brenna Hanson.
“We’ve got kids to bring up and fill those spaces,” Shrum said.
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