Volleyball team advances to state again
November 19, 2008
By Ryan Piersol
When teams arrive for the Class 3A state volleyball tournament this weekend, they’ll see a familiar face among them.
That face will be the Mount Si Wildcats. But they could just as easily be called the comeback kids.
As Mount Si head coach Bonnie Foote gets a congratulatory hug in the background, the Wildcat volleyball team celebrates qualifying for the state tournament Nov. 15 at West Seattle High School.
Mount Si qualified for the state tournament for the second straight year, thanks to placing third at a district tournament Saturday at West Seattle High School. After losing in the second round to Holy Names on Friday, the Wildcats won three straight matches Saturday to secure their 10th state berth in school history.
That bracket comeback, however, wasn’t the most dramatic rally of the weekend. No, the comeback everyone was talking about came during Mount Si’s second victory on Saturday.
The Wildcats trailed Bishop Blanchet — the No. 2 team from the Metro league — two games to none, after losing 25-17 and 25-13. But Mount Si rallied late to win in the third, 25-20, then took the fourth and fifth by scores of 25-19 and 15-11.
The victory clinched a state berth for the Wildcats and marked the second time in the tournament they’d been behind 2-0 and rallied to win.
“It’s called playing with heart. They just didn’t give up,” Mount Si head coach Bonnie Foote said. “I think a big thing is we changed things up defensively and took some shots away from them. And we started passing well and we served tough.
“I also told Robyn (Schirmer) to set Miranda (Pratt). Just give her the ball. And she was able to play the way she could play.”
Pratt led the comeback, recording 21 kills, 12 digs and seven aces. Schirmer finished with 27 assists.
“It’s amazing that we’ll be going back to state,” Pratt said afterward, “not only because I’m a senior, but because we’re also starting to create a legacy.”
Following the win, Mount Si capped the day with a 3-1 win against Holy Names that allowed the Wildcats to finish third in the district. Holy Names had beaten Mount Si in the winner’s bracket on Friday, but the Wildcats handled this one behind 22 kills and 13 digs from Pratt, 47 assists by Schirmer, 15 kills and four blocks from Mackenzie Peerbom, eight kills by Zoe Gogan and four service aces by Aubrey Larion.
Earlier in the day, Mount Si staved off elimination by taking care of fellow KingCo rival Bellevue in a 3-1 decision. Schirmer had 46 assists in that one, while Pratt recorded 20 kills and 16 digs, Peerboom had 11 kills and Gogan had 10 kills.
Mount Si, now 16-6 overall, will take on Lakes at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Toyota Center in Kennewick in the first round of the state tournament. The Wildcats placed eighth at state a year ago.
Mount Si’s only other state placements were fourth in 1990 and third in 1988.
“I think they’re creating a legacy and setting the standard for the younger kids,” Foote said of the team. “They’re creating memories and showing that Mount Si volleyball is right up there at the top.”
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