SEQUIM — Don’t tell these girls the match didn’t mean anything.
Playing in a nonleague matchup in the first week of the season, the Sequim volleyball team outlasted Port Angeles for a dramatic 25-19, 24-26, 27-25, 26-24 win Thursday night in Rick Kaps Gymnasium.
The win improved Sequim to 2-1 on the season as it survived a strong Roughrider challenge while rotating just seven girls.
“We had to play really, really well,” Sequim coach Jennie Webber-Heilman said. “It could have easily gone the other way.”
Indeed, with each of the last three games being decided by just two points, every point proved critical Thursday night.
That made for an emotionally draining affair that left a couple of Port Angeles players in tears once it was over.
“The girls fought hard,” said Port Angeles coach Christine Halberg, whose own girls were playing short-handed as well. “It was a great match. Sequim played really well.
“They came out a totally different team than we saw at the jamboree.
“You could tell they really wanted it.”
Maddy Zbaraschuk led the Wolves with 10 kills, six stuff blocks and four aces on 19-of-20 serving.
Teammate Haleigh Harrison added 10 kills of her own with seven digs and three stuffed blocks. Setter Taylor Balkan had 34 assists and two blocks. Kyla Martin had eight kills, seven digs and three aces.
“The whole match went back and forth,” Webber-Heilman said. “We seemed to be behind most of the time and we had to battle back.”
Kiah Jones had a game-high 11 kills for the Riders.
The junior also had eight digs, two blocks and one ace on 16-of-16 serving.
Danielle Rutherford added six kills, 14 digs, two blocks, and five aces (16-of-17 serving) for the Riders, and teammate Emily Drake dished out 26 assists with two aces, two kills and nine digs.
Darian Foley came off the bench with six kills and four blocks, while Lauren Norton had eight digs for the Riders.
“It’s a good learning experience for us,” Halberg said. “It’s early in the season, so we have our work cut out for us.”
Port Angeles (1-1 overall) will have plenty of opportunities to work out the kinks next week with three nonleague matches in four days. That begins with a match at Class 3A Peninsula on Monday.
Sequim will play at Olympic on Tuesday in a nonleague match.
Forks 3, Elma 0
FORKS — The Spartans played some close, tough matches against visiting Elma, winning by scores of 25-23, 26-24 and 25-18.
“We need to work on our serving,” Forks coach Jennifer Daman said. “We gave them a lot of points on serves.”
Jillian Rabin was a big help to the team with five aces and 12 assists while Brittany Decker had three kills.
Raven McCann, Whitney Fairbanks and Casey Williams added two kills apiece with Williams also having a block.
“We played well as a team, and the girls were happy with their game,” Daman said.
Forks next will travel to Rochester on Tuesday.
Girls Soccer Port Angeles 3, Sequim 0
SEQUIM — Lauren Corn scored two goals and dished out an assist to boost the Riders to a shutout nonleague win over their archrivals Thursday night.
Corn’s goals in the first and second half bookended her assist on a Kathryn Moseley score in the 22nd minute as the Riders improved to 3-1 overall.
“[Lauren] had an unbelievable game,” Port Angeles coach Scott Moseley said. “She was everywhere.
“She finished when she needed to. She passed when she needed to. It was very impressive.”
Port Angeles notched its third shutout of the season. The Riders have given up one goal so far this fall.
“That’s a pretty impressive start,” said coach Moseley, who lost 10 seniors off last year’s playoff team.
“We’ve got five freshmen who have been seeing significant playing time and contributing and doing very well.”
The Wolves were able to keep the Riders from blowing the game wide open despite being outshot 21-5.
Port Angeles didn’t go ahead by three goals until Corn’s score off a Kathryn Moseley assist in the 49th minute.
“[Sequim coach] Molly [McAleer] is doing a good job with them,” coach Moseley said. “They are definitely improved, and they played smarter soccer. It was tougher to break down.”
Port Angeles will host Kingston at home Tuesday in another nonleague match.
Port Angeles 3, Sequim 0
Port Angeles 2 1 — 3
Sequim 0 0 — 0
Scoring Summary
First half: 1, Port Angeles, Corn (McBride), 4th minute; 2, Port Angeles, Moseley (Corn), 22nd minute.
Second Half: 3, Port Angeles, Corn (Moseley), 49th minute.
Port Townsend 2, Kingston 0
KINGSTON — Jewel Johnson and Lydia Young each netted goals as the Redskins (3-1) won a wet and wild nonleague match Thursday night.
“Another fine team performance and a good win, spoiled only by what we hope will not be too serious an injury to [forward] Irina Lyons,” Port Townsend coach Colin Foden said.
Port Townsend 2, Kingston 0
Port Townsend 1 1 — 2
Kingston 0 0 — 0
Scoring Summary
First half: 1, Port Townsend, Johnson (Lyons), 23rd minute.
Second Half: 2, Port Townsend, Young, 67th minute.
JV: Kingston 4, Port Townsend 0
Girls Swimming Port Angeles 138, Bremerton 41
PORT ANGELES — The Roghriders had an easy time in their Olympic League/home opener Thursday.
The Riders(1-0, 1-0) achieved at least one district qualifying time in every swimming event with a total of 14 district times.
Ashlee Reid, Jenna Moore, Tracie Macias, Tarah Erickson, Tori Bock, Kaitlin Fairchild, Kelly Winn, Lexi Pankowski, Brooke Sires, Cassidy Turner and Jessica Burke all earned district times.
The Riders took first place in 11-of-12 events and outscored Bremerton in all 12 races.
Port Angeles also swept the 50-yard freestyle, diving and 100 free.
The Roughriders host Port Townsend on Tuesday starting at 3:30 p.m.
Sequim 85, Klahowya 56
SILVERDALE — The Wolves opened the season with an Olympic League on Thursday.
Sequim (1-0) had several district times from Paige Pearsall, Rachel Hardy and Gianna Venetti in multiple events, without the help from any divers.
“There was no diving this meet,” Sequim coach Susan Craig said. “I hope to have one or two divers in upcoming meets.”
The Wolves took first place against the Eagles in nine of the 11 events.
“So many of our brand-new swimmers had great swims in their first-ever meet,” Craig said.
“It was exciting to see them jump right in and get it figured out to be assets to the team.”
Sequim next swims at Bremerton on Tuesday.
