Payback: Wolverines dispatch Darrington in post-season preview

With the victory, the Wolverines (9-3) avenged a hard-fought early season loss on the Loggers home court and secured the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Northwest 2B Division playoffs, Oct. 30, at Mount Vernon Christian.

By Scott Rasmussen • October 24, 2014 8:11 pm
Friday Harbor's Madie Kincaid prepares to serve in the Wolverines 3-1 home win Thursday
Friday Harbor's Madie Kincaid prepares to serve in the Wolverines 3-1 home win Thursday

The Friday Harbor volleyball team gained a leg-up in the playoff race with a 3-1 win at home over Darrington, Thursday, Oct. 23.

More importantly, the victory serves as a statement and momentum-builder, as the Wolverines prepare for their first appearance in Division 2B post-season play in more than a decade.

“This is the one we really, really wanted,” Coach Travis Mager said. “Darrington is always fundamentally sound. They don’t make many mistakes and they don’t beat themselves. We wanted to show that we’re the second-best team in this league.”

With the victory, the Wolverines (9-3) avenged a hard-fought early season loss on the Loggers home court and secured the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Northwest 2B Division playoffs, Oct. 30, at Mount Vernon Christian.block

They dealt Darrington (9-3) only its second loss in league play by maintaining their poise in a see-saw battle that saw the lead, and momentum, change hands from point to point over the course of four tightly contested games.

Friday Harbor prevailed 25-19 17-25 25-22 25-17 in only its third match of the season to be decided in four games. The rest, win or loss, have been determined in three games, minimum of the best-of-five game format.

With the Loggers in town, the Wolverines were ready to pounce from the start.

“We came out and really wanted it,” Madie Kincaid said. “We expected them to come out and be really aggressive, and they were. We knew if we won we’d have a better chance at districts and a better chance to make it to state as the No. 2 seed. We wanted that.”

cheerAfter nearly a decade as a 1A team, the Friday Harbor volleyball squad will be competing in Division 2B post-season play, along with all other WIAA-sanctioned Friday Harbor sports teams. The team winds up regular-season play at home against Concrete, Saturday, Oct. 25, followed by a road game against a tough league rival and Division 1B team, Mount Vernon Christian (10-2), Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Friday Harbor dealt Darrington (9-4) only its second defeat in league play by maintaining its poise in a tightly contested see-saw battle and elbowed the Loggers into the lower position of the district playoffs, as No. 3 seed, with the win (the Wolverines and Loggers will likely face one another in the opening round of the playoffs).