Fall sports preview: SHS volleyball
Head coach: Jennie Webber Heilman (24th season)
2015 record: 7-5 in Olympic League (third), 11-9 overall; 3-1 at districts, 0-2 at state 2A tournament
Top returnees: Sydney Balkan, Maddie Potts, Ella Christensen, Adrienne Haggerty, Taylor Breckenridge, Kaila Sundquist, Lillian Oden, Jadyn Overby-Morgison, Arlene Law
There is a problem — albeit a good one to have — in having such good servers on a prep volleyball team, as Sequim High head coach Jennie Webber Heilman realizes.
Is this year’s senior-loaded SHS squad even better at serving, or are they struggling at returning those serves.
Webber Heilman plays it safe.
“We definitely have to work on our passing.”
While the Wolves have some work ahead of them in preseason practices, its likely that opponents of Sequim and defending Olympic League champ North Kitsap will have their work cut out for them this fall in league play. Sequim and NK return a host of top players while several other squads — Bremerton, Kingston, Olympic and Port Angeles — either lost key pieces are are under new coaches, Webber Heilman notes.
“That makes our tournaments (the Monarch Challenge in Longview Sept. 24, Capital City Tournament in Olympia Oct. 15) more valuable,” the Sequim coach says. “These guys are going to have to get into fantastic shape.”
Last year’s squad had a three-game losing streak before winning their final two to finish 7-5 in league play, then rebounded from an opening-game loss at districts to win three in a row and qualify for the class 2A state tourney.
The Wolves lost three starters — all-league first team hitter Megan Breckenridge, plus honorable mention libero Makenzie Bentz and veteran Rylie Roberts — but see eight of their nine varsity players from last fall back on the court.
That includes Sydney Balkan, an all-league second-teamer who will share setting responsibilities with fellow senior Lillian Oden. Balkan led the team with 175 assists (12.5 per game), third in serve percentage (92) and third with 21 aces.
Also back is Ella Christensen, another all-league second team star who led the team with 101 kills and 23 blocks.
Other key players include senior hitters Adrienne Haggerty, Maddie Potts and Jadyn Overby-Morgison. Potts was second on the team with 13 blocks and third on the team with 62 kills.
In all, seven of Sequim’s nine varsity players are seniors. Balkan, Christensen and Potts look to be on-the-court leaders, Webber Heilman says.
“It’s a good corps of seniors,” she says.
One area Sequim may struggle is on defense, she said, after losing Bentz, their defensive specialist.
Either way, North Kitsap — the squad that went 11-1 in league play and 16-5 overall — will be Sequim’s top challenger, Webber Heilman says.
“All those girls (for NK) play club,” she says, while just three Wolves took part in offseason club play.
Sequim opens with a home jamboree against Port Angeles and Port Townsend on Wednesday, Sept. 7. Sequim takes on the Redhawks at 4:15 p.m. and Port Angeles in the nightcap at 7:15 p.m.
The Wolves open the regular season Sept. 13 at home against the Olympic Trojans. Sequim is at Coupeville Sept. 14 and North Mason on Sept. 20 before hosting North Kitsap on Sept. 22.
