Volleyball wins again, looks forward to Lyncs

It wasn’t the sort of play needed to get a team ready for playoffs, but a fast victory over Sultan Thursday night should give the South Whidbey girls volleyball team some time to rest up before taking on the second-best team in the conference next week.

In their quickest best-of-five match of the season, the Falcons beat the Turks 25-6, 25-10, and 25-8 at Erikson Gymnasium Thursday, barely getting a warmup before their coming matchup against North Cascades Conference rival Lynden Christian next Tuesday.

Playing what their coach, Tim Durbin, called a “short and sweet” match, the Falcons barraged the Turks with a near-perfect night of serving and passing. The match was over so quickly that senior setter Brianna Hussey tallied just 20 assists. In most matches this season, Hussey has put the ball up about 30 times.

In the few instances in which the Turks were able to mount some opposition, senior Liz Norris proved most effective at putting it down. She made 11 kills on the night, her season high.

Now 18-3 overall, 5-1 in conference play and ranked second in the North Cascades Conference standings, the Falcons are assured of a district playoff spot. The battle now is for a first-round bye and for home court advantage through the first two rounds of playoffs, which will be played Nov. 5. To earn this, the South Whidbey girls must beat 5-1 Lynden Christian Tuesday. Though the Falcons and Lyncs have the same conference record, the Lyncs hold an edge in total wins on the season.

The game also marks senior night, during which the team’s seniors will be recognized.

The team will close the regular season with a road match against Nooksack Valley, which is one place behind South Whidbey in the North Cascades standings.

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