On Tuesday Sept. 23 at Orcas High School, the Orcas girls’ volleyball team took on the Friday Harbor Wolverines and beat them in three games out of five. Coach Greg Sasan said of his team: “With these young people, it’s always about the mental game. We talked a lot about leaving everything that didn’t belong on the court outside before we went on, and the women took that seriously and played a strong mental game.

There was lots of focus and drive in our first two games. They let a few things go mentally in the third game of the match; at one point, Friday Harbor rallied even though we were leading 20-8 and I saw my players get overconfident. I had to ask them were they here to play or not? And they got back on track again.”

The Orcas defense played aggressively; middle blockers Anika Thomas and April Hofmann had especially strong games, working hard to return volleys, and Lanie Padbury, back from an injury last week, also had a strong supporting game. Center Sydney Harris set up consistently well for the hitters at the front of the net. The back row as well had a consistent game. Emma Gallo-Chasanoff, Makena Thomas and Lindsay Anderson all played decisively. The chatter on the court, Coach Sasan said, also helped support the consistency and cut down on potential errors and missed returns.

The Orcas Vikings Volleyball Team played again Tuesday, Sept. 30, against the La Conner Volleyball Team, at Orcas, after the Sounder went to press. State champions for two years running, the La Conner Volleyball Team promises to give the Orcas Vikings an opportunity to hone their impressive skills even further.