By CHERYL PRUETT

For The Beachcomber

The Vashon High School Varsity Volleyball team is the best kept secret in Island athletics.

Their play is intense, exciting and entertaining. This team of hard-working young women is often sadly under-supported.

Under new coach Kara Sears, the team of 12 girls has gone from a losing record last year to becoming a bona fide contender for the Nisqually League title this year.

All the girls worked hard in the off-season, and the team was the champion of their summer league in Tacoma. The discipline and hard work has paid off with an increased intensity in their play.

After dropping the first two matches of this season to Cascade Christian and Charles Wright academy, the team rebounded, winning seven of their next eight matches against stiff competition.

They are playing a challenging schedule against both league and non-league opponents, performing well against Mt. Tahoma High School (a 4A school) and a tough team from Sequim High School (2A). On Oct. 8, the Pirates stunned Charles Wright in a re-match. beating them on their own court.

The team’s overall record is now 7-3. Their next home game is 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, against a league rival, the Chimacum High School Cowboys.

— Cheryl Pruett is the mother of volleyball player Corrine Pruett.