Blaine volleyball places 9th in state

Blaine senior Sydney Feenstra attacking during a game against Columbia River on November 9 at the state championship tournament. Photos by Janell Kortlever

Team has success at first state tournament in 20 years

By Oliver Lazenby

At its first state volleyball tournament in 20 years, Blaine High School’s varsity volleyball team finished in ninth place out of 16, a success by any measure for one of the smallest schools in the tournament.

“We earned it. We went there and we played well,” said Jacquie Wilskey, Blaine head coach. “Being ninth in the state, that’s a huge accomplishment for us.”

The Borderites started the tournament, at Saint Martin’s University, with a 3–2 win against White River High School on November 9. After losing two of the first three sets to White River, Blaine won the fourth set 25–20 and the fifth 15–11 for a comeback victory. Few errors and strong serving helped Blaine win that match.

“To win in five sets is exhilarating, especially when you’re playing in state,” Wilskey said. “To know that we won a match at state really solidified our confidence.”

After that, Blaine lost 3–0 to Columbia River on November 9, and then 3–0 to Burlington-Edison on November 10 to finish its tournament. Those teams went on to place fourth and fifth, respectively.

Ridgefield High School won the state championship game 3–1 against Lynden.

Blaine senior Ashley Dickerson and juniors Emma Mulryan and Cassidy Condos won “player of the game” awards; tournament officials gave out two awards per game.

The state tournament was a fitting end to the season for Blaine’s six seniors and an experience that could help the four underclassmen on the team return there next year.

“They know what the state tournament sounds like, what it looks like, what it feels like,” she said. “They now know that this is an attainable goal for our program.”