A pair of teams in purple and gold have separated themselves from the rest of the Olympic League.
On Thursday evening, the two teams clash in Sequim.
Along with Olympic’s Trojans, Sequim (5-0) and North Kitsap (3-0) meet for the first time in the 2014 season on Oct. 2, with the Wolves playing the role of host. North Kitsap returns the favor on Oct. 21.
Sequim got a warm-up for the contest with a pair of wins against league foes, topping Kingston 3-1 on Sept. 23 and sweeping rival Port Angeles on the road in three sets on Sept. 25.
“We had some good offense going on tonight,” Sequim coach Jennie Webber Heilman said following the sweep.
Alyse Armstrong and Emily Wallner paired up for 14 assists each and a combined 16 kills. Ella Christensen added six kills.
“We knew they wanted to win as much as we did,” Wallner, a senior outside hitter/setter, said. “We tried to come out not as slow (as in other matches).”
Sequim ran away with the first two sets (25-18, 25-15) and jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the third before the Roughriders grabbed the momentum with six consecutive points. Sequim outlasted the home squad, however, with a 25-15 win in the third set.
“We can’t give teams that many points,” Webber Heilman said of the slow third set start.
Webber Heilman said she likes what she’s seeing from Christensen, a 5-foot 10-inch sophomore who gives the Wolves a hitting and blocking presence in the front row.
“She’s figuring out how to hit in the middle,” Webber Heilman said.
The Sequim coach also liked what she saw from Wallner and fellow senior Armstrong, who gave the ‘Riders fits by occasionally opting for second-hit spikes rather than setting teammates.
“It makes other teams have to think of other things,” Webber Heilman said of the offensive tactic.
Senior libero Emma LeBlanc led the team with 24 digs.
“She was like a vacuum cleaner in the back row,” Webber Heilman said.
“Our defense is getting really good,” Wallner said.
Sequim also got eight digs from Wallner and a pair of blocks from Armstrong.
Sequim’s Rylie Roberts was 13-of-13 from the serving line and had a team-high six aces while Kylee Salazar had two kills and Cheyanne Sokkappa added two aces.
“Everybody on the team has something to contribute — it’s not just a couple of stars,” Wallner said.
KO-ing Kingston
Sequim’s big win at Port Angeles came on the heels of a four-set win against Kingston on Sept. 23.
Sequim dropped the first set before topping the Bucs in an up-and-down affair (19-25, 25-11, 25-27, 25-12).
LeBlanc paced the defense with 31 digs while Armstrong and Wallner fueled the offense with a combined 14 kills and 12 assists.
The Wolves had 17 aces, four from Sydney Balkan.
Christensen added three blocks and Maddie Potts had a pair of kills.
“We did not start well in the first game — just couldn’t get the offense going — (but) we had some awesome serving runs,” Webber Heilman said.
Armstrong served Sequim from down 24-20 to up 25-24 in the third game, a win that turned the match’s tide.
Looking ahead
The Wolves (5-0 in league, 6-0 overall) topped North Mason 3-1 on Sept. 30, the first of four consecutive home games.
Besides North Kitsap on Oct. 2, Sequim hosts Bremerton on Oct. 7 and Olympic on Oct 9.
Wallner said this year’s team is strong, but isn’t ready to say Sequim’s 2014 version is better than last year’s squad that fell short of a state berth by one game — and to Port Angeles, no less.
“We’re getting there,” Wallner said.
Olympic League 2A standings
Team Lg. Over.
Sequim 5-0 6-0
Olympic 4-0 4-3
North Kitsap 3-0 5-0
Bremerton 3-2 3-2
Port Angeles 1-4 1-5
North Mason 0-4 2-5
Kingston 0-5 0-5
