Despite having secured another district playoff match, South Whidbey volleyball players were solemn after a 3-1 loss in the second round to top-ranked Cedar Park Christian on Wednesday.
South Whidbey advanced to the consolation bracket to face Nooksack Valley on Nov. 1 in Lynden after sweeping Mount Baker and falling to Cedar Park Christian in a doubleheader.
After rallying in the third set to stave off the third three-set sweep by the Cascade Conference and District 1-leading Eagles, the Falcons hung their heads. Even senior Abby Hodson, usually a cheerful team leader who led South Whidbey in kills, was down after falling to the Eagles.
“It just died at the end,” said Hodson of South Whidbey’s energy and efficiency.
She said the back-to-back, seven sets in four hours play did not impact her abilities on the court. But the limited rotation used by South Whidbey—only eight Falcons saw the floor, with several starters rarely sitting—had led to tired legs by the time Cedar Park took the court to defend its undefeated record.
“We’re usually on a roller coaster,” said Falcon junior setter Katherine Read, who recorded 31 assists against Mount Baker and 44 assists against Cedar Park. “We should be proud. We took a game from Cedar Park—that was a really big accomplishment for all of us. We’re just super exhausted.”
Cedar Park Christian was powered by its formidable offense. The Eagles’ plays largely went through sophomore hitter Sam Dreschel, who recorded a game-high 25 kills to go along with 13 digs and three aces. Alexyss Nelson, the Eagles’ sole senior, set 28 assists; and junior libero Rachel Kumai recorded 21 digs.
For the first three sets, the two teams were neck-and-neck until the final 10 points or so. South Whidbey used a four-point run to tie the game at 23-23 before Dreschel scored two kills to secure the victory.
“We play man-up on her,” said Hodson of Dreschel. “That seems to work pretty well. We seemed to be digging her up, Sara Bryant especially, [more] than in previous games.”
The second set saw Cedar Park pull away earlier from a 17-17 tie and go on to win 25-19.
South Whidbey found its way in the third set, jumping out to a quick 12-7 lead before Eagles head coach Marni Dreschel called time out. The pause proved ineffective as South Whidbey rolled to a 25-13 win, capped by five Hodson aces in the final six points.
South Whidbey fell behind in a hurry in the fourth set. The Eagles took a 4-0 lead and never lost it en route to a 25-14 win, sending Cedar Park to the District 1 championship match against second-seeded Lynden Christian on Saturday.
Against Mount Baker, South Whidbey was largely in control in a 25-19, 25-20, 25-16 win. The scores were deceptive, as South Whidbey committed an unusual amount of errors and mistakes. Offense from Hodson (18 kills and 11 digs) and senior Anne Madsen (10 digs, nine kills, three aces) plus the setting by junior Katherine Read (31 assists) and defense from junior libero Sara Bryant (12 digs, two kills, two aces) were enough to make up for the mistakes.
South Whidbey plays an elimination game against Nooksack Valley —the same team the Falcons defeated in last year’s tri-district tournament to advance to the 1A state tournament. The Pioneers (3-9 Northwest Conference, 3-12 overall) fell to the King’s Lady Knights in straight sets Wednesday night. Winning that match secures a berth to the 1A bi-district tournament, which is the state-qualifying round.
