Wildcats miss state by one spot / Volleyball

By Jim Waller • November 18, 2019 1:30 am

The Oak Harbor High School volleyball team fell one match shy of qualifying for the state tournament when it finished fourth in the 3A District 1 playoffs Saturday, Nov. 16, at Marysville-Pilchuck.

The Wildcats came into play Saturday needing to win two straight loser-out matches to advance to state. Oak Harbor knocked of Edmonds-Woodway 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-17) but fell to fourth-ranked Arlington 3-0 (25-20, 25-7, 25-19) in the battle for third.

“Played well as a team (against Edmonds-Woodway), and the girls were determined and focused,” Oak Harbor coach Kerri Molitor said. “It was good to only go three sets with them, so we set ourselves up the best we could to be prepared for Arlington.

“Arlington is a great team. We started off the match very strong, but Arlington fought back and took the first set. We followed our game plan going into the second set, but it got away from us quickly. I was happy to see the team have some good plays in the third set.”

After splitting four matches at district, Oak Harbor finished the season with a 14-4 record.

“Overall, our season record is something to be proud of,” Molitor said. “We’ve had a lot of great moments and created a lot of memories.”

In the win over Edmonds-Woodway (13-5), Leielle Salinger had 12 kills, six digs, two blocks and an ace; Morgan Pease added nine kills, 11 digs and two aces; Payton Parks collected five kills, 10 digs, three blocks and an ace; and Annie Salinger had 25 assists.

Against Arlington (17-1), which suffered its first defeat of the season to eventual district champion Ferndale in the semifinals, Annie Salinger recorded 14 assists, three digs and four aces; Leielle Salinger posted five kills, four digs, a block and an ace; Pease added six kills, five digs and an ace; and Gredina DeGuzman had six digs.