When Sequim coach Jennie Webber Heilman considers her roster for 2023, one word comes to mind.

“We’re young,” she said at a preseason practice, sporting an understated grin.

This year’s iteration of the Wolves’ volleyball varsity crew features just two regulars from last season, two others who saw ample playing time and seven underclassmen, including two freshmen.

Fortunately for the Wolves and their head coach, more than half of the roster has club experience.

The team’s overall youth, Webber Heiman said, means they’ll need to focus on passing and serving, though she said the team looks like a strong serving squad early on.

“We’ll focus on passing and making sure everybody’s working hard on defense,” she said last week.

A relatively fresh new team who will get the chance to break in the Rick Kaps Gymnasium’s new floor later this month — once lines, logos and accoutrements are finished — will also have to find a way to replace several key pieces from 2022, not the least of which was Olympic League Offensive MVP Kendall Hastings, who led the team in kills, blocks, digs and serving percentage.

Also graduated are key contributors Sammie Bacon, Mia Coudriet, Jordan Kidd and Angel Wagner.

But do-it-all ace Jolene Vaara is back. The versatile Vaara was second in kills (98) and blocks (27), tied for second in digs and tied for third in aces (32) on last year’s team that was one win away from a state tourney berth.

Vaara is the team captain this season, Webber Heilman said, and while she hadn’t been as vocal in the past she’s showing court leadership in early practices.

Also back is Sydney Clark, who was sharp from the service line (47 aces, second-best) and third with a .916 serve percentage as a freshman.

Clark will be the team’s setter and newcomer Tiffany Lam, also a sophomore, will be the team’s libero.

The Wolves get back Sydney Hegvedt as well; as a junior, she was the team’s second-best server (.940) and her serving streak helped propel the Wolves to a deep playoff run in 2022.

Middle hitter Arianna Stovall is also back. As a sophomore in 2022, she was third on the team in both kills (36) and blocks (21).

As for other roles, Webber Heilman said she’s trying several players at multiple positions.

“Because we have such young kids, I want four middle hitters, four outside hitter, four setters,” she said. “We’ll have the flexibility to adjust. The more they learn about each position, the more it will help us.”

In 2022, the Wolves were 13-7 overall and went 2-2 at districts, taking league nemesis North Kitsap — who wound up eighth at the state 2A tourney — to five sets in the consolation final.

“Last year we started kind of slow,” Webber Heilman said. “We had a lot of kids who didn’t play in the offseason.”

With a new floor being installed for the Wolves in the main SHS gymnasium, Sequim players and coaches held tryouts and preseason practices and a jamboree at other district gyms (Sequim Middle School, Olympic Peninsula Academy).

With no league tournament on the books this year, Sequim will be aiming for a top-four spot in the Olympic League. Webber Heilman said the Wolves and North Kitsap should be strong and possibly Kingston also, though a number of schools have seen coaching changes in the offseason.

Sequim, meanwhile, gets Webber Heilman back for her 31st year as head coach, along with former players for her coaching staff: Rachel Oden (junior varsity) and Tayler Breckenridge and Brittany Gale (C-team).

Wolves win opener, topple rival Roughriders

Playing in the Olympic Peninsula Academy gym, Sequim’s Wolves outlasted the visiting North Mason Bulldogs in four games (25-17, 21-25, 25-18 and 25-18) to win their season-opener.

Jolene Vaara had 16 kills, 11 digs and seven blocks, Sydney Clark had 33 assists and Arianna Stovall and Kenzi Berglund combined for 10 aces in the victory.

Stovall, who also had nine kills and three blocks, had an eight-point serving run in the first game and finished 17-of-18 from the serving stripe.

In the third game, Berglund had two serving streaks of a combined eight points while Vaara got six of her kills to “swing the momentum our way,” Sequim coach Jennie Webber Heilman said. In the fourth game, Vaara picked up six of her blocks to shut down the visitors’ offense.

On Sept. 14 at Port Angeles, Sequim topped their rivals 3-1, with the Riders taking the first game 25-23 before the Wolves erupted for three decisive game wins: 25-10, 25-16 and 25-16.

Vaara dominated at the net with 24 kills and five blocks while Clark had 28 assists, three kills and three blocks from the setter spot.

Vaara, who had just four kills in the first game, scored 14 kills in the final two games to close out the match.

Brianna Palenik added five kills and Berglund chipped in four kills and a pair of blocks.

Stovall was the serving star for the night, going 28-of-30 with six of the team’s 15 aces; Clark, who had a nine-point serving run in game two, had four aces.

“We played tough defense with Tiffany [Lam and] Brianna [Palenik] getting some key digs,” Webber Heilman said.

The Wolves (2-0) were scheduled to play at Olympic on Sept. 19; results were not available at press time.

Sequim hosts North Kitsap on Sept. 21, are at Jackson on Sept. 22 and host Bainbridge on Sept. 26.

Fall sports preview: SHS volleyball

Head coach: Jennie Webber Heilman (31st year)

Assistants: Rachel Oden, junior varsity; Tayler Breckenridge, Brittany Gale, C-team

2022 record: 11-3 in Olympic League, 2-3 in postseason; 1-2 at district tourney

Key returning athletes: Jolene Vaara (sr.), Sydney Hegtvedt (sr.), Arianna Stovall (jr.), Sydney Clark (so.), Briana Palenik (so.),

Key newcomers: Marissa Gates (sr.), Azlynn Judd (so.), Rose Gibson (fr.), Ashton Reichner (so.), Kenzie Berglund (so.), Sophia Greenleaf (fr.)

2023 SHS volleyball schedule

Date Opponent Time JV C-team

Aug. 31 Jamboree (home) 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 12 North Mason 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Port Angeles 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Olympic 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Sept. 21 North Kitsap 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Jackson 6:30 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m.

Sept. 26 Bainbridge 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Bremerton 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Oct. 3 Kingston 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m.

Oct. 5 at North Mason 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m.

Oct. 7 at Capital City Invite (Olympia) TBA

Oct. 10 Port Angeles 6:45 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Oct. 12 Olympic 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Oct. 17 at North Kitsap 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Bainbridge 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Oct. 24 Bremerton 6:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Kingston 6:15 p.m. 5 p.m. 3:45 p.m.

Nov. 2-4 West Central District tournament, Sammamish TBA

Nov. 10-11 Class 2A state tournament, Yakima

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim’s Kenzi Berglund gets a dig in the first set of a four-set win over North Mason on Sept. 12.

Sequim’s Ashton Reichner looks to help the Wolves close out North Mason in the first set of SHS’s season-opening match on Sept. 12.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim High senior Jolene Vaara looks to pass to a teammate in the Wolves’ season-opener at home against North Mason on Sept. 12. The all-Olympic League first-teamer is one of just a few upperclassmen on this year’s varsity squad.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim’s Kenzi Berglund tries to hit past North Mason’s Adrianna Tupolo (13) and Kalli Wynn (15) in the Wolves’ season-opener on Sept. 12. The Wolves topped North Mason in four sets.

Sequim Gazette photos by Michael Dashiell Sequim’s Jolene Vaara, center, tips a shot past North Mason defenders in the Wolves’ four-game season-opening win at home on Sept. 12.