By MITCH TREESE
and MICHELLE STEARNS
For The Beachcomber
Pirates volleyball dispatched Orting, Seattle Christian and Charles Wright with decisive wins to finish third in the Nisqually League and closed its season (10-4) with a loss to the Coupeville Wolves at Tri-districts on Saturday, Nov. 8.
The four-game season-ending match against Coupeville was a nail-biter.
The Pirates started sluggish and lost the first two games 25-16 and 25-21.
They roared back in game three with an impressive 25-12 win.
Game four was a brawl, with the lead changing several times but with the Pirates holding the lead the majority of the game. The Wolves growled back and tied the game at 21-21. They gained three more points on Pirate errors to bring the score to 24-22 and then gave the serve to the Pirates.
Katie “K-Tom” Tomlinson stepped to the line and fired two service rockets that were untouchable, tying the score 24-24. Her third service volley was long by inches to make the score 25-24.
The last point of the 2008 season was lost by the Pirates along with hopes of a berth at the state championships.
The Pirates’ last league games concluded squarely in their favor. On Oct. 27, the Pirates sent Orting packing with a stinging 3-0 match win. The offense was balanced, with six kills each for Marika Treese (15), India Everett (7) and Katie Tomlinson (14). Margaret Gritten (3) had the match high of eight kills. Treese owned the middle of the court with nine blocking points during the match. The Pirates started strong and sustained their drive in the 25-17, 25-13, 25-15 match win.
On Oct. 29, the Pirates hosted the Seattle Christian Warriors for a grueling five-game match. The Pirates marooned the Warriors on Skull Island with a 25-15 win in game one. Game two was another confident performance by the Pirates as they battened down the hatches on the Warriors with a 26-16 flogging. Treese was on fire, blocking every cannon shot that the Warriors fired. Tomlinson splintered their masts with her blistering serves including 13 consecutive point serves.
Games three and four went to the Warriors 14-25 and 15-25 as the Pirates tried to bail out their sinking boat. Game five was all Pirates, with the Warriors walking the plank after their 15-9 loss.
Treese had a total of 19 kill points and seven blocks during the match. Everett put nine more nails in the Warriors’ coffin during the match. Middle hitter Tomlinson and setter Devin Anderson (11) fired six serving aces each and sunk the fleeting hopes of the Warriors.
Outside hitter Gritten put an end to their suffering with five kills and three aces during the match. It was a great victory for the Pirates as they showed determination and skill in the gutsy climax of game five.
On Nov. 1, the Pirates finished their league play with dominating wins over Charles Wright 25-16, 25-20 and 25-15.
It is important to note how much this team improved this year and how they made it to Tri-districts with seven varsity players, including one freshman. Congratulations to seniors Anderson, Gritten, Jessica Pirruchio, Tomlinson and Treese!
— Mitch Treese and Michelle Stearns are volleyball parents.
