YAKIMA — The Quilcene volleyball team had a historic season.
The Rangers made their first state appearance since 1992.
Then, at the 1B state tournament, they won their first-ever state match and brought home their school’s first volleyball trophy with an eighth-place finish.
All this with only one senior on the team and three freshmen starters.
“This was an exciting year with a team that just kept getting better and better,” Quilcene coach Joni Crowell said.
“We are very young, losing our one senior on the team, Kiani Clissold, and this was a valuable year for the three starting freshmen.
“One more year of experience and several strong young players entering our program should strengthen our program even more.”
The Rangers opened the tournament with a three-set loss to undefeated Pateros 26-24, 25-18, 25-8.
“The Pateros team were very strong defensively, and while we had great serving, we weren’t getting the kills we wanted,” Crowell said of Friday’s match.
In the defeat, Clissold served a perfect 21 for 21 with three aces. She also contributed three kills.
Freshman Allie Jones was 10/11 serving with 10 assists.
The Nannies would go on to take fifth place in the tournament, their only loss of the season coming to runner-up Christian Faith.
The Rangers moved on to the consolation bracket, where they won a loser-out game against Three Rivers Christian 25-17, 23-25 25-11, 25-7.
“We played and served much stronger in this game,” Crowell said.
“The girls were settled in better and more used to the six games being played at one time.”
Megan Weller was 21 for 21 serving with five aces and nine kills and 28 digs for Quilcene.
Sammy Rae served 14/15 with five aces and six kills, three blocks and 11 digs.
Next up for the Rangers was Klickitat, which Quilcene disposed of it three sets 25-9, 26-24, 25-18.
“[We] played tough this entire game and were very focused and mentally strong, especially in the close second game,” Crowell said.
“Sammy Rae served five aces in a row in the second match, which really changed the momentum.
“Their communication was excellent this match.”
Weller had another stellar serving match, going 22/23 with a pair of aces to go along with five kills and 10 digs.
Jones was 10/10 serving with two aces. She also had 21 assists.
Katie Bailey, one of the freshmen, finished with five kills, nine digs and 8 for 9 serving.
That win moved Quilcene on to a trophy game, which guaranteed the Rangers a seventh- or eight-place finish.
There they faced Sunnyside Christian, which had finished eighth in the two previous 1B state tournaments and was determined to take a step forward this year.
That the Knights did.
After surviving with a 27-25 win a point-for-point battle in the first game, Sunnyside rolled in the next two sets by scores of 25-4 and 25-12 to claim seventh place.
“Sunnyside Christian was a strong team, with several hitters around 6-feet [tall] that could really nail the ball down,” Crowell said.
“It was a great experience for us defensively and gave us another idea of what level we need to be above for next year.”
In the final match of her high school career, Clissold was 10 of 11 serving with two aces. She also had four digs.
Jones served 12/12 with an ace and also contributed six digs and five assists.
Bailey had 12 digs and was 6/6 serving.
The Quilcene girls sports programs have had a banner year in 2013, with the softball team, which featured many of the same players on the volleyball team, earning a fourth-place finish at state in the spring.
Now, that the Rangers have valuable postseason experience, they can focus on polishing their volleyball abilities.
“We are planning on doing a lot in the summer to keep the girls improving their skills,” Crowell said.
“More than anything, the mental toughness and tenacity of this young group impressed me. They never gave up and their successful serving under pressure was amazing.
“We are all very proud of them.”
STATS
Pateros 3, Quilcene 0
26-24, 25-18, 25-8
Quilcene: Kiani Clissold 21/21 serving, 3 aces, 3 kills; Sammy Rae 4 kills, 5 blocks; Megan Weller 7/8 serving, 14 digs; Alex Johnson 8 digs; Allie Jones 10/11 serving, 10 assists; Katie Bailey 3/3 serving, 8 digs.
Quilcene 3, Three Rivers Christian 1
25-17, 23-25, 25-11, 25-7
Quilcene: Clissold 18/19 serving, 5 aces, 3 kills, 6 digs; Rae 14/15 serving 5 aces, 6 kills, 3 blocks, 11 digs; Weller 21/21 serving 5 aces, 9 kills, 28 digs; Johnson 6 digs; Jones 16/16 serving 4 aces, 26 assists; Bailey 8/8 serving, 10 kills, 9 digs; Kieffer 17/18 serving, 2 aces.
Quilcene 3, Klickitat 0
25-9, 26-24, 25-18
Quilcene: Clissold 13/13 serving 1 ace, 4 kills, 6 digs; Rae 9/11 serving 5 aces, 9 kills, 6 blocks, 7 digs; Weller 22/23 serving, 2 aces, 5 kills, 10 digs; Johnson 6 digs; Jones 10/10 serving, 2 aces, 21 assists; Bailey 8/9 serving, 5 kills, 9 digs; Kieffer 8/8 serving.
7th/8th Place Game
Sunnyside Christian 3, Quilcene 0
27-25, 25-4, 25-12
Quilcene: Clissold 10/11 2 aces, 4 digs; Rae 5 kills, 3 blocks, 8 digs; Weller 6/6 serving, 4 digs; Jones 12/12, 1 ace, 6 digs, 5 assists; Bailey 6/6 serving, 12 digs.
