SEQUIM — Kendall Hastings knew she would have to step up and be a more vocal leader for the Wolves’ volleyball team during her senior year.
Hastings not only led the team to a second-place finish in league with an 11-3 record behind perennial powerhouse North Kitsap, she led the Wolves to within a handful of points of qualifying for the state tournament.
And she did it while posting spectacular stats all season — stats in all phases of the game.
For her contributions on the court, Hastings, the Olympic 2A League Offensive Player of the Year, was an easy pick for the All-Peninsula volleyball MVP.
“With all the people who had graduated, I needed to step up,” Hastings said. “The whole team focused every practice. We improved so much. I gave my all.”
Coach Jennie Webber-Heilman spoke all year about Hastings’ leadership skills.
“Kendall has been an excellent team captain for our Sequim team the last two seasons, leading by example on and off the court,” Webber-Heilman said. “[She] genuinely cares for her teammates and wanted nothing more than everyone on the team to succeed together.”
Hastings said she didn’t need to be told to be a leader.
“It comes naturally to me. I have a really good relationship with all the girls. Being a senior, sometimes I took it upon myself,” Hastings said.
Hastings also plays tennis for Sequim and qualified as a singles’ player for the state 2A meet last year. She prefers volleyball because it’s a team sport and plans to play in college.
To improve her skills, Hastings does something not many girls on the Olympic Peninsula do — she plays club volleyball in Tacoma during the winter, commuting two hours each way for practice. Most of the North Kitsap players play club volleyball.
“It’s so worth it. It really takes to a different level of volleyball,” Hastings said.
Hastings said she plans to play volleyball in college and has been given a couple of offers so far, but she has not picked a school. She is particularly interested in Boise State because her older sister McKenna goes to school there.
For now, her focus is club volleyball and getting back to state in tennis.
Here are the stats Hastings collected during the year. She served 97 percent for the season (230 for 238), had 53 aces, 284 kills, 80 stuff blocks and 144 digs.
In 19 matches, that’s an average of 15 kills, 2.8 aces, 7.6 digs, 4.2 blocks and 0.95 serve errors per match. Those are glowing offensive and defensive stats, something not many volleyball players accomplish.
Hastings saved one of her best matches of the year for the end. Sequim had to face North Kitsap a fourth time at district in order to qualify for state. North Kitsap was upset early in the district tournament and surprisingly ended up in the consolation bracket, and in Sequim’s way, unfortunately.
Sequim had lost to North Kitsap three straight times, but had taken a game from the powerful Vikings twice. At district, the Wolves nearly pulled off an upset in a grueling, five-set (26-24, 25-21, 25-27, 21-25, 15-9) 218-point marathon.
In that match, Hastings came up with 28 kills.
Webber-Heilman and Hastings said the motto of the team going into that match was “no regrets.”
“I’m one of those people that’s rather lose by a couple of points knowing we played our best,” Hastings said. “In my mind, it was a win. We played the best we could. There were no regrets.”
