Vashon High School Pirates 2003 Volleyball!

Varsity Junior and Freshman team members at the 2003 VHS Volleyball Awards potluck!

Senior's Night before the Eatonville victory! From the left: Malinda, Char, and Lara!
(and Lara's sister, Jennifer!)

Varsity gets psyched-up before the championship match at the Highline Varsity Invitationals!

The Fall 2003 Pirate Volleyball Schedule

At the Vashon High School Sports web page

Nisqually League, and State 2A Volleyball, 2003

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State 2A Volleyball results:

Last Updated: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 07:33 AM

State 2A Championship, Saturday 15 Nov

Woodland 3, Chelan 0
25-16, 25-14, 25-16

Semifinals, Saturday 15 Nov

Chelan 3, South Whidbey 0
25-15 25-20 25-20

Woodland 3, Lynden Christian 0
25-12 25-19 25-14

Quarterfinals, Friday 14 Nov

Chelan 3, Pullman 1
25-16 15-25 25-13 25-18

South Whidbey 3, Ephrata 0
25-15 25-19 26-24

Lynden Christian 3, Kiona-Benton 0
25-19 25-15 25-11

Woodland 3, Colville 2
22-25 24-26 25-12 26-24 21-19

Consolation Bracket, Friday 14 Nov

Forks 3, Steilacoom 0
25-15 25-22 25-15

Ridgefield 3, Port Townsend 1
25-17 25-23 19-25 25-17

Omak 3, Orting 0
25-17 25-14 25-17

First Round, Friday 14 Nov

Pullman 3, La Center 1
24-26 25-18 25-17 25-22

Chelan 3, Meridian 0
25-22 25-23 26-24

South Whidbey 3, Forks 1
25-20 25-18 21-25 25-22

Ephrata 3, Steilacoom 0
25-18 25-21 25-20

Kiona-Benton 3, Port Townsend 1
25-12 25-17 24-26 25-20

Lynden Christian 3, Ridgefield 0
25-13 25-20 25-6

Colville 3, Omak 0
25-17 25-18 26-24

Woodland 3, Orting 0
25-9 25-10 25-9

Nisqually League Coach of the Year, 2003

Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2003 12:15:18 -0800
From: "Matt Turner" <TurnerM@tukwila.wednet.edu>
To: <snip>
Subject: Volleyball Coach of the Year

Congratulations to Orting's Jeanne Munson,
 2003 Nisqually Coach of the Year!

Nisqually All-League Honors

These were decided at a meeting out in Silverdale the Sunday after Districts that neither Dave nor I attended...

...suffice it to say that the 10-3 Pirates pretty much got slapped in the face, but that's what happens when you're not there to lobby for your players :-/

Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 11:32:17 -0800
From: "Matt Turner" <TurnerM@tukwila.wednet.edu>
To: /* snip */
Subject: Volleyball (ALL-League)

Congratulations to the top three in Districts...

#1- Steilacoom
#2- Port Townsend
#3- Orting

League Results

Teams represented at meeting:  Chimacum, Sequim, Foster, Steilacoom, Orting

CO-MVP:  Alana O'Hara (Sequim)
CO-MVP:  Ricki Creger-Zier (Steilacoom)

1st TEAM

* Alyssa Schafer (Steilacoom)
* Krystal Bessey (Orting)
* Lara Smith (Vashon)
* Amy Dalzell (Foster)
* Amanda Porto (Chimacum)
* Julie Reno (Sequim)

2nd TEAM

* Samantha Locke (Chimacum)
* Nina Wetzler (Foster)
* Latoya Anthony (Steilacoom)
* Leanne Higley (Orting)
* Miranda Trudeau (Port Townsend)
* Kayla Roof (Eatonville)

HONORABLE MENTION

* Sara Theisen (Orting)
* Chantel Arey (Chimacum)
* Tia Nofoa (Steilacoom)
* Tarynn McHugh (Sequim)

Can you say: "political"?

Nov 09 2003

Nisqually League Districts:

At Foster High School, Saturday, November 8, 2003

Seeds - revised at Fri Nov 7 09:46:59 PST 2003
 
#1 - Steilacoom - 12-1*
#2 - Vashon - 10-3*
#5 - Port Townsend - 6-7*
#3 - Orting - 6-7*
#4 - Chimacum - 6-7*
#6 - Foster - 5-8*

( * = complete season, 13 games)


Game Times:
GAME 1 (9:30 AM)
Foster vs Port Townsend (home team)  Loser Out
Port Townsend defeated Foster 3-1


GAME 2 (11:00 AM)
Chimacum vs Orting (home team) Loser Out
Orting defeated Chimacum 3-1


GAME 3 (12:30 PM)
Winner of game #1 vs Vashon (home team)
Port Townsend defeated Vashon
 18-25, 12-25, 25-23, 26-24, 15-12


GAME 4 (2:00 PM)
Winner of game #2 vs Steilacoom (home team)
Steilacoom defeated Orting 3-0


Game 5 (3:30 PM)
Loser of game 3 will play loser of game 4
to decide third spot for State
Orting defeated Vashon 
 22-25, 17-25, 25-14, 25-18, 17-15


Game 6 (5:00 PM)
Winner of game 3 will play winner of game 4
Port Townsend versus Steilacoom
Both of these teams will go to state as the #1 and #2 seeds.
 
 

Nisqually League volleyball standings

Finaly Nisqually League Volleyball standings
at Fri Nov 7 09:54:10 PST 2003

12-1  Steilacoom*
12-1  Sequim - 3A*
10-3  Vashon*
 7-6  North Mason - 3A*
 6-7  Port Townsend*
 6-7  Orting*
 6-7  Chimacum*
 5-8  Foster*
 1-12 Eatonville*
 0-13 Klahowya*

* = complete 2003 13-game season

Steilacoom had won head-to-head over Sequim
Port Townsend had won head-to-head over Orting
Port Townsend had won head-to-head over Chimacum
Orting had won head-to-head over Chimacum


November 6th match:
Port Townsend D. Chimacum

November 5th match:
Vashon 3, D. Eatonville 0

November 4th match:
Chimacum D. North Mason

November 3rd matches:
Vashon 3, Orting 1
Port Townsend 3, Klahowya 0
Steilacoom 3, Foster 0


Matches remaining at 11/04/03:
Nov. 4 - North Mason at Chimacum
Nov. 5 - Eatonville at Vashon
Nov. 6 - Port Townsend at Chimacum


Partial October 27th/October 29 matches:
Vashon 3, Steilacoom 0
Foster 3, Eatonville 0
North Mason 3, Port Townsend 2
Steilacoom over Orting

Partial October 22nd matches:
Vashon 3, Foster 0

October 20th matches
Sequim 3, Klahowya 1
Vashon 3, Eatonville 0
Orting 3, Foster 0

Partial October 15th matches
Vashon 3, Foster 1

October 13th matches
Orting 3, Chimacum 0
Steilacoom 3, North Mason 1
Sequim 3, Eatonville 0
Foster 3, Klahowya 2
Vashon, bye

October 8th matches
Steilacoom 3, Chimacum 0
Eatonville 3, Klahowya 2
Port Townsend 3, Orting 0
Vashon 3, North Mason 2
Sequim 3, Foster 1

September 29th matches
Chimacum 3, Klahowya 1
North Mason 3, Orting 1
Steilacoom 3, Port Townsend 1
Sequim 3, Vashon 1

Vashon High School Pirates Volleyball!

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New news:

2003 Pirate Volleyball Awards!

2003 Pirate Volleyball held its awards potluck on Wednesday, December 3, in the VHS Commons.

Varsity MVP: Lara Smith; Varstiy Most Inspirational: Char Skeffington; Varsity Most Improved: Jill Middling; Varsity Coach's Awards: Lara Smith, Lyssa Nelson, Jen Owens.

Varsity Junior Most Valuable Teammate: Rosalie Kuerschner; Runners-up, Jennifer Osgood and Rachel Stendahl; Honorable Mention: Tiffani Stark.

Varsity Junior Most Improved: a dead-heat tie between Jennifer Osgood and Chloe Melton; Runner-up: Justine Eister; Honorable Mention: Chantal Uto.

Varsity Junior Best Sportsmanship: Rosalie K; Runner-up: Danielle Rotter; Honorable Mention: Rachel S, Justine E, Karaena McCormack.

Varsity Junior Most Fun to have on the Team: Rachel S and her interpretive dance routines; Runner-up: Justine E; Honorable Mention: Danielle R and Rosalie K.

Varsity Junior "Go to Varsity for 2004": Rosalie K; Runner-up: Rachel S and Jennifer O; Honorable Mention: Tiffani S.

Freshman Most Valuable Teammate: Rose Pierce; Runners-up: Jenna Shiosaki and Marya Purrington; Honorable Mention: Raquel Jellison and Lily Marth.

Freshman Most Improved: Lily M; Runner-up: Rose P; Honorable Mention: Raquel J, Sarah Stover, Morgan Wegner.

Freshman Best Sportsmanship: Jenna Shiosaki; Runners-up: Morgan W, Lily M; Honorable Mention: Raquel J, Jasmine Hagerty.

Freshman Most Fun to have on the Team: Lily M; Runner-up: Rose P; Honorable Mention: Marya P and Raquel J.

Freshman "Go to Varsity for 2004": Jenna S; Runners-up: Rose P and Marya P; Honorable Mention: Lily M, Raquel J and Morgan W.

Varsity Junior and Freshman Coach's awards:

Raquel Jellison, for her unstoppable enthusiasm for the sport of volleyball, a tee-shirt which reads "Volleyball: Is there anything else?" For Raquel the answer is certainly "No!". Raquel practiced non-stop, and typically had to be asked several times by her mother to leave almost every night at practice. I understand that Raquel and her younger sister have to be asked to stop playing with the volleyball in their bedroom at night and go to sleep!

Tiffany Stark, arguably the strongest player on the VJ team, and highest point scorer on the team with 78 even though she missed some matches, a tee-shirt which reads: "It's not about me, it's about team!" Tiffani made tremendous progress during the year learning to play team volleyball, and will be a powerhouse player next year!

Jennifer Osgood, who played real volleyball for the first time this summer on August 25, and who ended up being second-highest scorer on the VJ team with 62 points, a tee-shirt which reads: "Sorry dear, did you want a manicure with that facial?" Several weeks into the season Jennifer was a little down, and didn't seem to feel like she was getting the game or finding her niche on the team. We had just started running her as a middle blocker, and after practice one evening when I told her about this saying, I could instantly see the light come on in her eyes and see that she had suddenly found her volleyball identity as a middle blocker!

Chloe Melton, whom Justine suggested I let try setting very late in the season, a tee-shirt which reads "Athletic by Nature, Volleyball Setter by Choice!" Chloe picked up setting very quickly and developed a real, nice soft touch with the ball. I got her to stop apologizing when she goofed up, and she listened to what I had to say and really came along very rapidly! Chloe shows great promise as a setter next year!

Varsity Junior and Freshman team members at the 2003 VHS Volleyball Awards potluck!
From the left: Rachel, Morgan, Raquel, Marya, Rose, Justine, Danielle, Rosalie, Jennifer, Chantal, and Tiffani!

Pirate Varsity 2003 volleyball season ends at Districts

Coming out out of the Nisqually League regular season with a fantastic record of 10 wins, 3 losses, Pirate Varsity volleyball needed to win only one of its two matches at the 2003 West Central District Volleyball Tournament at Foster High School on Saturday November 8, to advance to the 2A State volleyball finals for the first time in the memory of most fans. Over an absolutely heartbreaking span of five hours, the Pirates could not find a way to get the job done.

The Pirate's first match was against Port Townsend, which had already defeated Districts host Foster High School, 3-1. Vashon took game one 25-18, game two 25-12, and seemed to have the match well in hand against a strong Port Townsend team.

Both game three and game four were see-saw battles from the start: the Pirates were tied again and again in both games: at 4-4, 7-7, down only slightly at 11-12, tied again at 15-15, tied at 19-19, tied at 22-22, tied at 24-24. The Pirates were so close to victory twice, only to watch game three slip away at a crushingly close score of 23-25, and game four slip away at an equally devastating 24-26.

A win in game five would advance the Pirates to State; a loss in game five would send them on to play later in the day. Vashon got up by as much as four points at 10-6, only to be held to two more points while Port Townsend marched all the way back to win the game, and the match at 12-15. Now the Pirates had just one more chance.

The final, third berth to State was up for grabs between the Pirates and Orting in the fifth match of the day. Again, the Pirates started out strongly, winning game one at 25-22, and winning game two at 25-17. Now the Pirates needed to win one more game to advance to State.

But it was deja vu all over again, only this time it wasn't really close. Orting stepped out to a wide 1-10 lead in game three, held on to 6-14, let the Pirates come back to 11-17, but then allowed only three more Pirate points as Orting took game three at 14-25. Game four saw the Pirates tied at 4-4, but that was about it. Down 4-8, 5-12, fighting back to 11-14, falling back to 11-18, fighting back to 15-22, but only getting to 18-24 from there as Orting took game four 18-25.

We had one chance left in game five, played to 15 points. The Pirates put up a heroic struggle: tied at 5-5, well ahead at 12-7, and then caught from behind at 13-13, tied at 14-14, tied at 15-15, and then watching it all slip away as Orting went to 15-16 on a Pirate error, and to win game, match, and a trip to State on an Orting kill at 15-17.

Thanks to all the Pirate parents who turned out, and to all the Freshmen and Varsity Junior volleyball players in the stands who made up the loudest cheering section in the Foster gym! All our hearts go out to the entire Varsity volleyball team, who had such a wonderful season come to such a heartbreakingly early end.

Districts results:

GAME 1 (9:30 AM)
Foster vs Port Townsend (home team)  Loser Out
Port Townsend defeated Foster 3-1


GAME 2 (11:00 AM)
Chimacum vs Orting (home team) Loser Out
Orting defeated Chimacum 3-1


GAME 3 (12:30 PM)
Winner of game #1 vs Vashon (home team)
Port Townsend defeated Vashon
 18-25, 12-25, 25-23, 26-24, 15-12


GAME 4 (2:00 PM)
Winner of game #2 vs Steilacoom (home team)
Steilacoom defeated Orting 3-0


Game 5 (3:30 PM)
Loser of game 3 will play loser of game 4
to decide third spot for State
Orting defeated Vashon 
 22-25, 17-25, 25-14, 25-18, 17-15

Game 6 (5:00 PM)
Port Townsend versus Steilacoom
Both of these teams will go to state as the #1 and #2 seeds.

Pirate Freshmen and Varsity Junior par-tay! Par-tay! Par-tay!

Well, it was a party of sorts :-)

On the Thursday after our last match we put out one set of bleachers, set up the TV-VCR from the boy's coaches office, I brought in 4 extra large pizzas and a case of Snapple from Costco and 2 bags of chips and some big bottles of pop, and we settled down to watch some beach volleyball tapes, and tapes of our last match of the season against Eatonville!

And we got to watch Rachel's interpretive dance routine, and some really good passing and setting and hitting and serving as we beat Eatonville's JV with our patchwork 4-Freshman 2-Varsity Junior team, 25-14, 25-20!

And we voted on our Player's Choice Awards, to be given out at the Pirate Volleyball Awards Banquet, later this month!

And the only real disappointment in the whole afternoon, the girls decided, was that the buff guys in the beach volleyball matches weren't wearing Speedos :-(

But other than that, we all had a great time!

Another Pirate volleyball sweep!

Pirate Varsity, and Freshmen-Varsity Junior sweep Eatonville at home!

Pirate Freshmen and Varsity Junior vs Eatonville, 11/05/03:

This week has simply been the most gonzo, bizarre week in my recent memory, and Wednesday I just about lost it :-)

Remember that on Monday at about 10:15 am I found out that Eatonville didn't have a Junior Varsity squad, and I had to scramble the lineups for Monday's Orting match to get Varsity Junior one more chance to play...

...and then Tuesday we put together some vague plan to do a Freshman-Varsity Junior scrimmage before the Wednesday Varsity Eatonville match, and before the Senior's night ceremonies...

...and then Wednesday, the Freshmen and Varsity Junior teams kinda straggle in, and some people don't have their stuff, and some people don't seem really enthusiastic about playing anyway, and there's not a lot of time, and we have a team meeting and pretty much decide to forget the VJ-Freshman scrimmage idea, and everyone just goes off on their own way...

...and then Eatonville shows up, and announces that they *do* have a JV squad, and they want to play!

And that's when I about lost it :-)

Anyway, enough of my little problems! Long story short: we get the net up; we get everyone who's still here (all six of them!) into their uniforms; I loan one girl one of my emergency jerseys; I forbid another girl who apparently has a cracked rib (from diving onto the floor to make a pass!) from playing; we get warmed up; finally some Refs show up; Dave gets the scoreboard going; Mr Allison tells me that instead of just playing one game we'll play an entire match and Varsity will just have to wait; and off we go!

So I'm playing two Varsity Junior players, Rosalie K and Rachel S, and four Freshmen: Raquel J, Lily M, Jenna S and Morgan W, but when we look at who we've got, we've got two setters, two middle blockers, and two outside hitters, so we're good to go!

And the girls do absolutely fantastic together! They beat Eatonville 25-14, 25-20, and we cancel the third, non-deciding game, and we have well and truly finished the season at 7 wins, 6 losses in the Nisqually League, 8-7 overall with our two non-League matches, and we have won our last five matches of the 2003 season!

Great passing, great setting, great hitting, great serving...

...and I got it all on videotape!

Stats for the Freshmen/Varsity Junior Eatonville match:

Combined Freshmen-Varsity Junior -- W 2-0, 25-14, 25-20

Rosalie Kuerschner: 4 kills, 1 service ace
        Lily Marth: 3 kills, 2 aces
   Rachel Stendahl: 2 kills, 1 ace
   Raquel Jellison: 1 kill, 1 ace
     Morgan Wegner: 2 aces
    Jenna Shiosaki: 1 ace

    VJ points for: 50
VJ points against: 34

Pirate Varsity vs Eatonville, 11/05/03:

So after all the drama with Varsity Junior and the Freshmen out of the way, it was Varsity's turn.

And the Pirates handled Eatonville with no problem, to say the least...

First game: out in front 6-1, 8-2, 10-2, 11-3, 16-4, 19-7, 21-11, and that was it, game over, 25-11.

Game two: up 4-1, 9-2 on a kill by Lara, 11-4, 16-4 on a smashing weak side kill down the line by Morgan that brought the crowd to its feet, then we kinda fall asleep somehow to 19-10, then 22-11, 24-11 on a service ace by Lyssa, and game two on a kill by Lara at 25-11.

Game three: down 0-2, 2-5, 3-6, 5-7 on a kill by Malinda, tied at 7-7 on a kill by Lara, to 7-9, to 9-11 on a tip by Lyssa, tied at 12-12 with a Lara kill, up for the first time at 13-12 on a great stuff block by Malinda that brought the crowd to its feet again, 14-12 on a kill by Lara, 16-12, 18-12, 20-12 on another Lara kill, 22-16 on a service ace by Char, 23-16 Lara kill, 24-16 Eatonville hit out, and game and match at 25-16!

A great crowd on hand, being Senior's Night and our last home match, with signs and all that good stuff!

Stats for the Varsity Eatonville match:

Varsity W 3-0, 25-11, 25-11, 25-16

      Lara Smith: 10 kills, 2 service aces
   Malinda Owens: 4 kills, 2 blocks
    Lyssa Nelson: 2 kills, 1 ace
       Jen Owens: 1 kill, 1 ace
Char Skeffington: 1 ace
  Jennifer Smith: 1 kill
   Morgan Miller: 1 kill

    Varsity points for: 75
Varsity points against: 38

On to Districts!

Pirate Varsity, and Freshmen-Varsity Junior sweep 6-6 Orting at home!

Pirate Freshmen and Varsity Junior vs Orting:

The real story here has got to be our Freshmen-Varsity Junior team, and the way they really came together for this match!

About 10:15 am Monday I received an email from our AD, saying that Eatonville had just dropped its Junior Varsity team (we were to play Eatonville Wednesday 11/05), and suddenly my Varsity Junior girls had, without knowing it, already played their last match of the year (against Steilacoom last Monday) and their season was all over.

So I decided we were going to have to split today's match against Orting (which was to be the Freshmen squad's last match) between both squads so that Varsity Junior would have at least one more chance to play.

So off I went down to school over lunch, and in the lunchroom I spoke with as many of the girls as I could find, which was most of them, and explained what had just happened.

And almost no one was happy with the situation: The Varsity Junior girls didn't have their volleyball stuff at school with them and suddenly everone was on their cell phones, trying to get spandex and kneepads and shoes brought to school somehow, and the poor Freshmen were suddenly having to share their last moment of glory with VJ, who "...get to play all those matches and we don't get to play any and it's not fair..."

But I explained what the options were to everyone, and smoothed all the ruffled feathers, and left school with everyone only mildly upset with me! When I came back to school that afternoon before the match, they had all talked it out and everyone without exception had pulled together as a team, and we were all pretty much OK with what was happening. Or so we thought...

And then Orting shows up and announces that they didn't have enough girls to play!

Ack! Grr! Just when I thought we had this all figured out!

So we met together as a team, and decided to loan Orting two players (Chloe and Chantal) for the first game, and one player (Justine) for the second and third, and it's Play On!

And despite loaning Orting some of our better players (and Chloe and Chantal and Justine played really well for Orting) we beat 'em anyway!

The Freshmen played games 1 and 2, and split with Orting 25-19, 23-25, so they almost won both games. Varsity Junior played the third game and won handily 15-8!

Stats for the Freshmen/Varsity Junior Orting match:

Varsity Junior -- W 2-1, Freshmen 25-19, 23-25, VJ 15-8

Freshmen, 2 games:
    Sarah Stover: 6 service aces
     Rose Pierce: 2 kills, 4 aces
   Morgan Wegner: 3 aces
  Jenna Shiosaki: 1 kill, 1 ace
Marya Purrington: 2 aces
      Lily Marth: 1 ace

Varsity Junior, 1 game:
Rosalie Kuerschner: 2 kills, 1 service ace
 Mariana Rodrigues: 2 aces
   Jennifer Osgood: 2 kills
      Chloe Melton: 1 kill

Pirate Varsity Junior finishes the 2003 season
with a fantastic record of 7-6 in the Nisqually League!

Pirate Varsity vs Orting:

Varsity played pretty well by the end, but started out with one of those Chimacum kinda games that scares the h*ll out of Dave and I.

Game 1: Out in front 3-1, tied 3-3, tied 6-6, and then suddenly 7-8, 7-10, time out Vashon #1, 8-11, 10-11, 11-14, 12-16, 13-18, umm.. 13-20 time out Vashon #2, 13-21, 14-23, 15-25 and we lose game 1 in a pretty lackluster performance.

Uh oh...

Game 2: down 2-4, tied 4-4, up 6-5, up 7-5 on a service ace by Lara, 8-5 on a Malinda kill, 9-5, 10-5 on Lyssa tips, 11-5 Lara kill, 12-5 Lara ace, 13-8, hmm.. 14-9, 15-10, tied at 15-15, hmm.. 17-15, 19-15 on a service ace by Char, 21-17 on a great block by Malinda, 22-17 service ace Lara, 23-18 4 hits by us, 23-21 hmm.. 24-21 and win 25-21 on a kill by Lyssa. Whew!

Game 3: tied 3-3, tied 4-4, tied 5-5, 7-5, tied 7-7 hmm.. tied 9-9, 10-10 don't let Orting hang around, tied 11-11 on a kill by Lara, up 12-11 on a Malinda tip, up 15-11, 16-12, then three hits out in a row by Orting to get us to 19-12, we get a re-serve that really helped us out and takes us to 20-12 on a strong kill by Lyssa, and we start to roll: 21-12 Jen O service ace, 22-12 Orting hit out, 23-12 Orting 2 hits, 24-14, we give them a faint hope to 24-17, and win on a strong kill by Jennifer Smith at 25-17!

We're up 2-1 going into game 4!

And game 4 I did lines, so I have no details or stats, but we won 25-20 and the match 3-1!

And we're now 9 wins, 3 losses in the Nisqually League!

Next up: Eatonville on Wednesday, and we're off to Districts on Saturday, November 8!

Incomplete (3 games) stats for Varsity:

Varsity -- W 3-1, 15-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-20

      Lara Smith: 8 kills, 3 service aces
    Lyssa Nelson: 6 kills
   Malinda Owens: 4 kills
Char Skeffington: 3 aces
       Jen Owens: 2 aces
   Morgan Miller: 1 kill
  Jennifer Smith: 1 kill

Pirate Varsity and Varsity Junior sweep 9-0 Steilacoom at home!

With a fantastic effort by both teams, both Varsity Junior and Varsity beat 9-0 Steilacoom at home, Monday October 27!

Varsity Junior -- W 2-1, 12-25, 25-20, 16-14; Varsity -- W 3-0, 25-11, 25-9, 25-12

The real story (certainly for me!) has to be Varsity Junior.

Down 1-11 in the first game, then down 4-16, then losing 12-25, things seemed pretty bleak.

We faced our usual enemy, ourselves and our own passing, and beat ourselves. And we lost to Steilacoom as a consequence.

OK: second game. Up 3-1, tied 4-4, up 6-4, tied 7-7, tied 9-9, tied 12-12, tied 15-15, up 18-16, up 20-16, up 22-18, up 24-19 on a smashing Jennifer O block, and then we hold them off to win the second, 25-20! So we're split, going into the third.

And here we go again. Down 0-1, 0-2, 0-3, I call a time out: "We need to get our passing under control, relax, and play the kind of volleyball we're really capable of."

Down 0-6...

Then we're down 1-6, 2-6, 3-6, 3-7, 3-10, I call my second time out: "Relax, think, but don't think too hard, play good volleyball, make good passes!"

OK: so 4-11, to 5-11 on a Rosalie K kill, 5-12, 5-13, 5-14. This is not looking good.

We're down 5-14. One more point, and it's game and match to Steilacoom. We're talking grim, here...

OK: 6-14 on a Steilcoom hit out. Side out Vashon, Mariana Rodriques serves. We get to 7-14, 8-14, 9-14, 10-14 and Steilacoom calls time out.

I repeat my first message: "Relax, think about what you need to do, be aware of your teammates, make good passes."

Mariana continues to serve. 11-14, 12-14 on a Steilacoom hit out. 13-14, 14-14 and we're tied, and I'm yelling at the girls "Focus! Focus! Focus!"

Mariana serves. 15-14. We're up one! 16-14 and we win, and the girls go nuts, and the crowd as well!

We came all the way back from 5-14, one point away from game and match to Steilacoom, and we beat them!

An absolutely fantastic job!

Stats for the Varsity Junior Steilacoom match:

Varsity Junior -- W 2-1, 12-25, 25-20, 16-14

   Jennifer Osgood: 5 kills, 2 blocks, 2 service aces
Rosalie Kuerschner: 2 kills
   Rachel Stendahl: 1 kill, 1 ace
   Danielle Rotter: 2 aces
    Justine Eister: 1 ace

Pirate Varsity!

Varsity took command pretty quickly in game one: out in front 7-1, then 10-2, then stalled to 10-6, then 12-6, 12-8, 15-8, 18-10, 23-10, and a win at 25-11 on a Lara S kill.

Game two was more of the same: out 6-0, 7-2, 8-3, to 9-5, 13-5, 16-6, 19-7, 22-8 and pulling away at 25-9 on another Lara kill.

And by game three it became obvious that Steilacoom really had nothing for us: tied 2-2, out 4-2, 5-3, 7-4, 9-5, we're pulling away, 11-5, 14-5, 14-6, 14-7, we stop 'em, they get back a little, 16-8, 16-10, 18-10, 18-12, and Steilacoom hits the wall: 19-12, 20-12, ace Char, block Malinda, kill Lara, ace Char, we're at 24-12, and win 25-12.

Strong play by the Pirates. Steilacoom either didn't show up, or got down and decided the match didn't matter.

I'd like to think that my Varsity Junior girls played a small part: by holding their JV at 14 points and finally winning at 16-14, thus defeating Steilacoom's JV, we put them on general notice that they weren't going to blow us off!

Stats for the Varsity Steilacoom match:

Varsity -- W 3-0, 25-11, 25-9, 25-12

      Lara Smith: 15 kills
   Malinda Owens: 3 kills, 3 blocks
    Lyssa Nelson: 1 kill, 4 service aces
   Morgan Miller: 1 kill, 4 aces
Char Skeffington: 4 aces
    Jill Midling: 2 aces
  Jennifer Smith: 1 kill, 1 block

Pirate Varsity and Varsity Junior sweep their final away matches!

With a varsity Nisqually League record of 7 wins, 3 losses, Pirate volleyball finished its final regular-season away games with strong Varsity and Junior Varsity wins against Eatonville and Foster.

Monday October 20 found the Pirates travelling all the way out to Eatonville in the monsoon to face a depleted Eatonville squad that is a shadow of years past. The Pirates were briefly tied in game one at 5-5, then pulled out to 11-6, 19-7, and won the first game 25-11. The second game found the Pirates relaxing too much: out in front 16-5, then letting Eatonville back in to 17-13, and again to 23-18 before winning 25-20. Game three found the Pirates tied at 8-8, close at 12-11, and then the Pirates took charge for good, pulling out to 22-11 and winning game 3 and the match, 25-15. Junior Varsity played well and also won at Eatonville 2-1, game scores 24-26, 25-21, and 15-6.

On Wednesday October 22 the Pirates returned to head coach Dave Plypick's former school and perenial Vashon rival Foster high school. The Bulldogs were lacking their usual setter and tried three different replacements to no good effect. The Pirates handled 4-7 Foster with no real challenge, winning 3-0, game scores 25-14, 25-9, and 25-14.

A short-handed Pirate Junior Varsity also notched a solid win (two wins in one week!) beating Foster's JV squad 2-1, game scores 25-13, 25-15, and 13-15. Pirate Varsity will return to Foster, Saturday, November 8 for Districts, the first match starts at 9:30am.

Regular season matches remaining are all at home: a very important match against 9-0 Steilacoom Monday October 27; a bye Wednesday October 29; and the final two home matches against 5-5 Orting Monday November 3 (the Pirate Freshmen will play Orting JV), and against 1-8 Eatonville Wednesday November 5.

Pirate Varsity Junior Volleyball does the Highline Invitational!

Following in the footsteps of their Varsity sisters, Pirate Junior Varsity volleyball traveled to the JV Highline Invitational Tournament Saturday, October 4. Although they didn't sweep the tournament as did Varsity, JV took second place in their Pool Play bracket with a record of 3-3, and were defeated by KingCo League 3A Liberty High School in the first round of Tournament play, 1-2.

Matches in order:

Pool #1, lost to Kentridge HS, 7-25, 7-25
Pool #2, split with Eastside Catholic HS, 20-25, 25-21
Pool #3, beat Tyee HS, 25-10, 25-22

Tournament #1, lost to Liberty HS, 25-21, 20-25, 8-15

Team points for: 162
Team points against: 198

Individual stats:

   Jennifer Osgood: 15 kills, 6 blocks, 4 service aces
     Tiffani Stark:  3 kills, 9 aces
Rosalie Kuerschner:  5 kills, 5 aces
   Rachel Stendahl:  5 kills, 2 blocks, 4 aces
      Chloe Melton:  4 kills, 1 ace
       Chantal Uto:  3 kills
   Danielle Rotter:  3 aces
  Marya Purrington:  1 kill

Amazing fact: Sophomore Jennifer Osgood started playing real volleyball (other than in McMurray PE) for the first time on August 25.

Pirate Varsity Volleyball sweeps the 2003 Highline Invitational!

Pirate Varsity volleyball swept through the 2nd Annual Highline High School Invitational Volleyball Tournament, Saturday, September 27, 2003, winning the Championship against Eastside Christian. The Pirates not only won every match, but won every single game they played, emerging as the only unbeaten school.

Matches in order:

Pool #1 Def Lindbergh HS 25-15, 25-4
Pool #2 Def Tyee HS 25-15, 25-8
Pool #3 Def Lakeside HS 25-13, 25-21

Quarterfinals: Def Liberty HS 25-17, 25-23
Semifinals: Def North Mason HS 25-20, 25-21
Championship: Def Eastside Christian 26-24, 25-17

Team points for: 301
Team poinst against: 198

Individual stats:

      Lara Smith: 36 kills, 4 service aces
   Malinda Owens: 19 kills, 6 aces
       Jen Owens: 16 kills, 3 aces
Char Skeffington: 9 kills, 5 aces
    Lyssa Nelson: 8 kills, 6 aces
   Morgan Miller: 5 kills, 5 aces
  Jennifer Smith: 3 kills, 1 ace
    Bailey Lyons: 1 service ace

Pirate Varsity loses to Washington 0-3; Varsity Junior wins 2-1 :-)

Washington HS from Tacoma was a 3A school, and this was a non-League match.

Games scores: 17-25, 21-25, 16-25

For Varsity it was really the same deal: Pirate errors, combined with the fact that Washington is a pretty good team.

We were plus 35 points on our kills and aces, but -49 points on our own errors. We probably could have taken Washington, but for that...

Varsity Junior: W 2-1

Game scores: 25-17, 15-25, 25-19!

Varsity Junior really did a fantastic job against a very good, 3A school. We really had the entire package: 3-touch volleyball, good passing, good setting, good hitting!

Pirate Varsity volleyball loses to Steilacoom 2-3; Varsity Junior loses 1-2 :-(

A pretty hard loss, and one where almost no one thought that Steilacoom should have taken the match. On the way out to the bus, after, I overheard one Steilacoom parent say "I didn't want to see them win this way..." which I understood to mean that they realized Steilacoom didn't win, so much as Pirate Varsity lost by their own errors.

Scores: W 25-21, L 17-25, L 16-25, W 25-19, L 10-15

                                         ERRORS
Lara Smith, 14 kills, 1 service ace       -18
Malinda Owens, 3 kills, 3 aces             -5
Morgan Miller, 1 kill, 4 aces             -10
Char Skeffington, 1 kill, 6 aces          -10
Lyssa Nelson, 1 ace
Jen Owens                                  -6
Jennifer Smith, 1 kill

BUT: hits out/net; serves out/net; bad passes
                            ERRORS TOTAL: -49

Varsity points for: 102
Varsity points against: 106

So it was really that we beat ourselves on our own errors.

Varsity Junior: L 1-2

15-25, 7-25, 15-9

Dave coached the VJ match while I did the Freshmen, so I have no stats :-(

Freshmen: L 0-3

20-25, 9-25, 5-25

I'm sorry, but this was a real good example of why it makes no sense (except maybe to a 3A school) to have 3A schools picking on 2A schools. Our Freshman squad played pretty well, but was completely outmatched by Sequim's "C" squad. Maybe if we played the girls who *didn't* make Sequim's team, we'd be a little more fairly matched...

Pirate Varsity volleyball wins 3-1 over Klahowya; Pirate Varsity Junior loses 1-2 :-(

Varsity: 25-10, 23-25, 25-14, 25-12

Varsity Junior: 17-25, 18-25, 25-15

Varsity played quite well overall, but needs not to let their opponents get into the game. Game 2 was lost mainly on Pirate play, not by the play of Klahowya. The Pirates stayed focused and stayed together as a team, and controlled the third and fourth games to win the match.

Varsity stats:
   Lara S: 14 kills, 3 aces
  Lyssa N:           2 aces  18.5 assist
Malinda O:  3 kills, 5 aces
   Char S:  2 kills, 8 aces
    Jen O:  4 kills, 2 aces
 Morgan M:  5 kills, 3 aces

    Varsity points for: 98
Varsity points against: 61

The Varsity Junior game plan included:

• Play as a team
• Play 3-touch volleyball
• Pass to the setter
• Put the hitter strongside; put the blocker middle
• Cover for our hitter
• Read opponent's offense and cover for our blocker

All-in-all we did pretty good, or we're improving in our play, at least. I still want to see more 3 touch volleyball and less 1-pass-over-the-net.

Stats were pretty balanced, but low: we need to get good passing and 3 touches every time the ball comes over the net.

 Rosalie K:          2 aces,  1.5 assist
 Karaena M: 2 kills, 2 aces
 Mariana R:                   1.5 assist
 Tiffani S: 2 kills, 7 aces
Jennifer O: 1 kill
 Justine E:          1 ace
Danielle R: 1 kill,  1 ace

    Varsity Junior points for: 60
Varstiy Junior points against: 65

Points-for and Points-against show that we were right there. Better passing and we would have had this!

Pirate Volleyball sweeps Orting, away, in our first Nisqually League match!

Varsity: 25-9, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14!

Varsity Junior: 25-15, 25-15, 19-8!

The Pirates swept Orting, away, in our first Nisqually League match. Playing against a significantly improved Cardinal Varsity, Pirate Varsity won convincingly in four, scoring 98 points for, while allowing only 68 points against. Varsity Junior won three-of-three, scoring the maximum of 69 points for, and allowing only 38 points against.

Varsity stats:
   Lara S:  9 kills, 5 aces
  Lyssa N:  2 kills, 4 aces, 22 assist
Malinda O: 10 kills, 2 aces
   Char S:  3 kills, 4 aces
    Jen O:           7 aces
 Morgan M: 10 kills, 3 aces

    Varsity points for: 98
Varsity points against: 68

Varsity Junior actually won the match by default because Orting JV didn't have enough eligible players due to insufficient practices. Orting played its first match with 3 Varsity players, and the Pirates beat them anyway, 25-15. In the second and third matches, the Pirates loaned three players to Orting and despite good play by our three loaners, the Pirates won the last two 25-15, 19-8!

 Rosalie K:           2 aces, 1.5 assist
 Karaena M:           3 aces
  Rachel S: 2 kills,  4 aces
 Mariana R: 1 kill,   5 aces, 1.5 assist
 Tiffani S: 7 kills,  6 aces
Jennifer O:          11 service aces!
 Justine E: 1 kill

    Varsity Junior points for: 69
Varsity Junior points against: 38

Our first match: a non-league match for all three squads against Lincoln HS in Tacoma

Well, first of all, let me say that Lincoln is pretty darn good..

Being a 4A school, with over 50 girls turning out for volleyball, they break out into 4 squads (Varsity, Junior Varsity, and two "C" squads..) and therefore the cream of the crop plays Varsity and JV..

Final scores:

       Varsity: 12-25, 25-27, 17-25
Varsity Junior: 21-25, 19-25, 3-15
      Freshmen: 22-25, 17-25 and something
       I think: I didn't get to coach the Freshmen :-(

Varsity played OK, but inconsistently and with less passion than they are capable of. Varsity Junior really played pretty well, with the main issues being a lack of familiarity with one another under fire, and a need to trust teammates to get to the ball when it's needed. I understand the Freshmen did quite well, and several of them told me their serving was strong, which is great! I didn't get to coach the Freshmen (Coach Dave did) because VJ was playing at the same time...

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With a great turnout, we need to break out Varsity Junior into two squads.

Even though it may not have been my first choice, with 19-20 girls turning out for Varsity Junior volleyball, it's pretty clear we need to break out into two squads to do justice to everyone. I'm not going to coach a PE class...

It's really important to remember that this is not ability-based: we've got a real strong skill range on both squads, and the decision to separate out freshmen is just one base on what class you're in, not how good you are.

And, it's really important to remember that we'll be running exactly the same drills and practices, and learning the same offense and defense. The deal is just to break the squads down to sizes where everyone gets a lot of attention.

Remember: we're all one team!

Current Schedule:

   Monday: game day, either home or away
   Tueday: VJ, 3:00pm-5:00pm, Freshmen, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Wednesday: game day, either home or away
 Thursday: VJ, 3:00pm-5:00pm, Freshmen, 5:00pm-7:00pm
   Friday: VJ and Freshmen back together, 3:00pm-5:00pm

I realize that there will be major inconveniences for the Freshmen because of late starts two days a week, but it's the best I can come up with. Consider carpooling; I will look into offering rides home for up to four players.

And realize that you don't have to "go away" after school: come down to the gym, hang out, and do your homework :-)

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Pirate Volleyball practice is well underway, and we've got our Varsity and Varsity Junior teams!

Woo Hoo! Finally!

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Second Summer 2003 Volleyball Camp was a great success!

The second of two pre-season VHS Pirate Volleyball Camps took place August 25 through August 28, 2003, at the VHS gym.

On the last day, we did high school varsity drills all morning, and the girls loved it! It was really exciting to see how well 7th and 8th graders could handle the "Big-Girl" drills! I can't wait 'till they're up at VHS, and are on the JV team!

Intended for upcoming grades 6-7-8-9 (McMurray Middle School, and Vashon High School incoming freshmen) the second Volleyball Camp focused on basic skills and techniques, cover serving, passing, setting and hitting.

The second Volleyball Camp took place from 9:00am to 12:00 noon, Monday through Thursday, and was coached by returning Pirate Varsity volleyball coach Dave Plypick and by Pirate JV coach John Sage.

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Pictures from the first Volleyball Camp are up!

First Summer 2003 Volleyball Camp ends!

Sixteen Pirates in upcoming grades 10-12 turned out for the first summer 2003 volleyball camp at the Vashon High School gym, July 7-10, coached by returning Varsity coach Dave Plypick, 2002 JV coach Rochelle Wolf, and John Sage.

After over eighteen hours of drills and scrimmages, the core of both the Varsity (2002: 7-6, one win away at Districts from going on to State last year) and the Junior Varsity teams for the fall 2003 season look to be stronger than last year's teams, and much stronger than any team in recent memory.

Given the performance of the sixteen players who attended (plus the fact that one 2002 Varsity player attended but couldn't practice, and that a second 2002 Varsity player couldn't attend camp at all), there are at least eighteen very strong volleyball players returning for the 2003 season.

With a probable ten-player Varsity team roster, perhaps including several swing players from Junior Varsity, there are more than enough quality players to make up a strong Varsity team for 2003, and a strong Junior Varsity team as well!

And this is all without knowing who might turn out for the grade 7-8-9 volleyball camp at the end of August, and without seeing who else steps forward at team tryouts, starting Monday, August 25, 2003, at the begining of the fall sports season!

All-in-all, things look *real* exciting for fall 2003 VHS Pirate volleyball!

Old news:

Saturday November 9, 2002: Pirate Varsity volleyball's season ends with a loss to Steilacoom at Districts, one game away from going to State!

8-15, 15-5, 2-15 :-(

2002 record: 7 wins, 6 losses, 1 game away from going to State!

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Varsity Junior Teammates of the Week:

11/09/03: My hat is off to:

All the Freshmen and Varsity Junior players (and all the VHS guys) who turned out at Districts to cheer on their Varsity sisters all the way up to the bitter end of a heartbreaking loss.

You girls were the loudest cheering section in the Foster gym, and your signs were wonderful!

Thanks for being there to support Varsity! They knew you were there, and they appreciated you, even though they might not have said so!

11/04/03: My hat is off to:

All the Freshmen and Varsity Junior players (which is to say: all of them!) who really came together as a team in the face of the disappointing news about Eatonville's JV cancellation and my resulting decision to give Varsity Junior one more game, when the Freshmen were supposed to be scheduled to play all three games against Orting in our second-to-last home match!

I came into school over lunch on Monday, November 3 to tell everyone what had happened and basically no one was really happy with me, particularly the Freshmen, who were now losing one third of their last moment of glory (the Freshmen only got three matches this year..)

But by the time I came back to school to set up for the match, everyone had talked it out between themselves and they were all pretty much OK with it!

And to add to the day the fact that we won, beating Orting 2-1, Freshmen 25-19, 23-25, Varsity Junior 15-8!

09/16/03: My hat is off to:

All of the VJ players who pitched in and helped out at our first home match against Klahowya! We threw most of these girls right into the deep end of the pool, (particularly the score keepers) and they all pulled it off!

Setup: Raquel J, Chantal U, Rosalie K, Jennifer O, Justine E, Karaena M, Tiffani S

Score keeping/score board: Lily M and Marya P; Marya P and Rosalie K

Lines: Raquel J and Jasmine H, Varsity Junior match; Rachel S, the entire Varsity match

Varsity Junior, and Varsity warmup backups, all-around general hustle and go: Raquel J and Jasmine H

(I love Raquel and Jasmine: they are just non-stop, full speed ahead, 110% all the time! I love it!)

Remember: helping out at matches is one thing that really makes you part of the Pirate Volleyball family!

Good Job, and thank you every one!

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Who are we?

Varsity Pirates:

Varsity Junior:

*Varsity Junior? What's that?

Freshmen:

The Pirate Coaches:

Coach Dave sez...

Tuesday, August 26, 2003:

Well, Coach Dave, how is Pirate Varsity going to do this year?

"Honestly?"

Of course honestly, what other way is there?

"We should be in first place."

When during the season?

"All year long."

Tough talk, Coach Dave...

"We'll see..."

Who's your strongest competition?

"Eatonville and Steilacoom. Not necessarily in that order."

Why?

"Eatonville always has the talent to make a difference. They should have a strong outside hitter. Steilacoom will still have some real, quality players who can step up at any time. However, graduating Amy D'Amato could make a difference for Steilacoom."

Why are we going to do well?

"Just on our talent alone, we should be right there."

So you feel good about this year's team?

"Yeah.. this is the best I've felt about any team that I've coached in high school.

"Bottom line, I expect us to finish in front."

Thanks for your comments, Coach Dave. Any worries about firing up the other teams if they should read this?

"Not a worry in the world."

Returning Varsity coach for the upcoming 2003 season is Dave Plypick, vote Nisqually League coach of the year in 2002, for the third time, by his peer coaches!

Dave is the former Varsity coach at Foster High School in Tukwilla. Dave did a fantastic job with the Pirates in the 2002 season, turning Pirate volleyball around from a losing record of 1 win, 12 losses in 2001, to 7 wins, 6 losses, and being one win away from going to the 2002 State 2A Volleyball Championships!  

Coach John sez...

August 26, 2003:

OK: we've got our teams, let's get ready to rumble!

"Basically, I'm thinking of this team as more Varsity Junior than Junior Varsity. What that means is that, to the best of my ability to learn from Coach Dave, and to teach it to the VJ players, we're going to be running the same program as Varsity.

"We'll practice with the same drills, we'll run the same offense, we'll run the same defense, within the skill level of the players on VJ.

"At this moment (Tuesday night..) I don't expect to have a Freshman squad. If we get more girls turning out, we'll have to revisit that question, and make a team decision as to whether we split up, or continue as one (maybe too big..) team. We'll see...

"Like Varsity, I'll probably select a core group of starters for every match, and rotate in the other players. Unlike Varsity, the people starting on the bench will get to play, but it's not going to be a democracy where everyone gets equal playing time. Playing time depends on attitude, attendance, hustle, attitude, team spirit, and did I mention attitude? Not so much your skill, but your attitude toward your teammates and toward the team.

"My goal is to have all VJ players learn the Pirate offense and defensive systems, to have all players improve their individual skills, and to make it really, really difficult for Coach Dave to pick his Varsity team next year. I want to swamp him with highly qualified players, any one of whom could play Varsity for him.

"I want (no: I expect) us to win some matches this year. Heck, I expect us to win a lot of matches!

"I want us to have a lot of fun!

"The level of skill I'm seeing right now on VJ is pretty consistent from player to player, and I'm real pleased with the level of skill I see in everyone.

"And we haven't even gotten started yet!"

OK: it's official now, because I just got my letter from the Vashon School District:

I am very excited to announce that I'm (John Sage - FinchHaven is my web site) going to be Junior Varsity girl's volleyball coach at Vashon High School for the upcoming 2003 season!

I've been very active in girls' sports on the Island, two sports a year, since about 1994-1995. I've coached, co-coached, or assistant-coached basketball, softball, fastpitch, and volleyball.

I was very active in Pirate volleyball for four years, until my daughter Rosalie Anne graduated last spring with the class of 2003. Rosalie will be playing women's volleyball at Whitman College in Walla Walla, starting about August 20, 2003.

Now that Rosalie's moving on to college, I need to do something else to get my Pirate volleyball fix!

I am very excited about coaching JV volleyball. Of the 18 girls who attended the first 2003 Pirate volleyball camp, 10 will be sophomores in the coming 2003 season, and I am very excited about the high level of skill, enthusiasm, and involvement with the game of volleyball that those 10 girls showed at camp.

Add in 9th graders coming up from McMurray, and returning 2002 JV players who show up at tryouts/practice starting August 25, and I think we've got a *real* strong Junior Varsity team!

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