North Thurston, Olympia take top seeds into volleyball state tournaments
The roughly 180 miles to the Sun Dome represents the distance for not one but both top-seeded volleyball teams headed to Yakima for the culmination of the 3A and 4A seasons this weekend.
That’s because the No. 1 seeds to the state tournaments both hail from the same area – Thurston County – after North Thurston won the bi-district title in 3A and Olympia captured the 4A championship a week ago.
“I think it’s really nice to see the South Sound representing,” North Thurston coach Jackie Meyer said. “It’s really exciting. A lot of it is consistency, continuity in coaching.”
And talent doesn’t hurt. But for these teams, it hasn’t been talent alone that’s gotten them to this moment, where schools located a mere 5.6 miles apart on the map now find themselves as the favorites in Yakima.
There are others, of course.
Should Olympia beat No. 16 Skyline in its first-round game, the Bears could face a team they’ve already lost to twice this season. An Oly win sends the Bears on to play a quarterfinal on Friday night against either Kennedy Catholic or Puyallup.
The Vikings beat Olympia twice, including handing the Bears their only South Puget Sound League loss during the regular season. Olympia did turn the tables at the bi-district tournament and are 2-1 against the North Division champs.
“This group has really kept their heads in a good place,” Olympia coach Christie Oldright said. “They’re climbing the ladder one step at a time.”
Oldright is in just her second year as the head coach with the Bears. But she’s no stranger to the Olympia program. Oldright played for the Bears for four years as the millennium came and went. She’s spent many years as an assistant coach, including being with the program when it made its state championship run in 2011.
This team has embraced the team concept, led by its group of four seniors that will be making a third consecutive trip to the Sun Dome. Kate Herrick, Hannah Byers, Susannah Barnett and Ava Hoy can impart upon their younger teammates just what to expect.
“We are certainly honored to be back,” Oldright said. “It’s easy to get caught up in who you could play in the future. Even with all that excitement, the girls are working hard to stay grounded. Their competitive maturity showed this past weekend. They were able to stay in the moment and focus on what they needed.”
Meyer’s group has been focused from the beginning this fall. The Rams have lost just once all season and that came back on October 7. North Thurston has run off 10 straight wins since that loss to Capital, another Thurston County team.
Even before the season began, Meyer felt this group had a chance to do something special. The Rams are a nice blend of experience and youth with three seniors – Alexis Meyer (the coach’s daughter), Chloe Dixon and Sydnee Hertzog – serving as the senior experience.
Sophomore setter Samantha Humphrey has provided floor leadership all season.
“I’ve been very impressed with her as a sophomore on the court,” Meyer said. “And what she’s been able to do.”
North Thurston will look to continue playing on their season-long momentum against a first-round opponent yet to be determined. As the top seed, the Rams will play the winner of one of four 3A play-in matches, getting the winner of No. 17 Bellevue and No. 16 Mountain View.
“We set big goals at the beginning of the season,” Meyer said. “We didn’t set the goal of being the No. 1 seed to state, but I did tell our staff we had amazing talent. Honestly, I’m in my 14th year here, my 11th as head coach, and I’ve never coached a group of 13 girls that enjoys each other like this team. It’s been a really fun season.”
The fact that North Thurston and Olympia hail from the same area? That’s just another fun bonus.
“It’s pretty special,” Oldright said. “I don’t know if that’s ever happened before. It’s a testament to the athletes we have in this area right now.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2023 at 5:00 AM.