There were times this summer when Oak Harbor High School senior volleyball player Claire Anderson wondered if she would be able to play this fall.
An injury to Anderson’s hitting shoulder, an impingement, forced the Wildcat star to sit out the summer club season and jeopardized her opportunity to finish an already stellar career with the Wildcats.
Not only did Anderson play, pain and all, but she carried Oak Harbor to a berth in the district tournament.
Her goal, now, is to lift the Wildcats back into the state tournament.
The first round of the eight-team, double-elimination district tournament is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, when sixth-seeded Oak Harbor (7-5, 7-7) challenges third-seeded Lynnwood (10-2, 11-3) at Stanwood.
Second-seeded Stanwood (10-2, 10-4) and seventh-seeded Marysville-Pilchuck (6-6, 7-7) fill out Oak Harbor’s half of the bracket.
The two winners (7 p.m.) and two losers (5 p.m.) pair up for the second round Thursday, Nov. 5, at Stanwood.
The tournament concludes Saturday, Nov. 7, at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
Three teams will advance to the state tournament.
Coming in as the sixth seed makes Oak Harbor a long shot for state. Anderson isn’t fazed — she has been through this before.
As a sophomore, she helped the seventh-seeded Wildcats stun the field to finish second at district and sixth at state.
“I really think we can make it to state if we all focus,” Anderson said. “We have the capability. This is my senior year, and it would be great to go back.”
The “focus” comment is in reference to Oak Harbor’s inconsistencies on the court this fall.
“It’s a mental thing, a mental block,” she said. “I don’t think you ever get over it; you learn to fight through it.”
The team’s chemistry will help it clear the mental hurdle and rise to the top, Anderson said.
“We have already accomplished a lot,” she said. “This is one of the closest teams I have ever been on. We all get along really well.”
The physical, not mental, side of the game almost derailed Anderson’s season.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be back or if I was ever going to be able to play again,” she said. “And, if I got back, I didn’t know how good I was going to be.”
Oak Harbor coach Kerri Molitor helped Anderson navigate the physical pounding of the season by limiting her hitting opportunities in practice and nonleague matches and periodically replacing her when she was slated to serve.
“Sitting this summer helped me re-set my shoulder,” she said. “Now it is more about the quality of hits and not the quantity.”
The quality is definitely there.
Going into the final regular season match Wednesday, Anderson led the Wildcats in kills (170), hitting efficiency (.244) and service efficiency (.957). She is also the top passer with a 2.05 grade (3 is perfect) and registered the team’s most “3” passes (56) out of the second most digs (150). Anderson also recorded 16 blocks.
This is Anderson’s fourth season as a varsity starter, and she earned first-team, all-league honors as a junior after being named honorable mention as a sophomore.
Anderson, who sports a 3.9 GPA, received a volleyball scholarship from the University of Bridgeport, a Division II school in Connecticut.
Molitor calls Anderson “a competitor.”
“Even at a young age, she was always calm and confident,” Molitor said. “She leads by example and is a wonderful teammate to all. She is a player that any coach would want on their team.”
Molitor also echoes Anderson’s belief that the Wildcats can qualify for state: “We know that anything can happen once you make the (district) tournament. We have the skills and the talent to do well. It will be a difficult road, as we have strong teams in our district. I’m a ‘Survivor’ fan — we have to outwit, outlast and outplay our opponents.”
And play through pain.
