Lady Mules finish eighth in state volleyball

The Wahkiakum Mules volleyball team brought home an eighth place trophy after an initial loss to Tri-Cities Prep sent them to the loser's bracket in the double elimination tournament State 2B tournament in Yakima last Thursday.

In the first round, the Lady Mules lost to Tri-Cities in five sets, 25-21, 27-29, 17-25, 25-23, and 9-15. That afternoon, they faced Asotin in a loser out match, and beat them in five sets, 14-25, 24-26, 25-19, 25-17, and 15-12.

On Friday, the team met Ocosta for the second time this year and avenged an earlier loss. They sent the Wildcats home after five sets: 20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 18-25, and 15-11. Later that morning, the Lady Mules battled Northwest Christian (Colbert) for seventh and eighth place and lost in four sets: 17-25, 25-19, 16-25, and 20-25.

"I am so proud of my girls this year," Coach Kayli Hurley said. "After the start of our season, they could have rolled over and decided that continuing to grow and get better was just too much work. They clearly did not. Each year, the girls determine our core covenants together as a unit. This year they chose Supportive, United, Passionate and Relentless. Living these core covenants was a work in progress all season and my athletes reached the peak of living them at just the right time. They played relentlessly for each point."

"I have to give some credit to a few different places," Hurley continued. "We were visited by our team camp director from the summer who gave the girls a bit of advice to help in tough times. He advised them each to have one sole focus: this point. The girls wholeheartedly bought in and this became our mantra at State. We got through some tough matches using this mindset."

"I will miss this year's seniors tremendously," Hurley added. "They worked their buns off to make it this far this season and their leadership was priceless. They have continued to buy in to what we're teaching and 'drink the kool aid' if you will. In doing so, they've paved the way for the underclassmen to do the same, and so the legacy continues."

This year's senior players were Macie Elliott, Charlie Ashe, Mckensi Fluckiger, Ellie Leitz, and Destiny McGowan.