by MARTY ZIER

Sports contributor

The Lady Vikings volleyball team ended their 2012 season with a very respectable fourth place finish in the Bi-District Tournament in Stanwood on Nov. 10.

The previous week the Vikings qualified for the Bi-District Tournament with a third place finish in the District 1 tournament held in Mt. Vernon.

Facing the toughest seeding and the longest path to finish in the top three, Orcas won the first two matches against Sea-Tac League opponents starting with a 3-1 win versus Cross Point Academy and continued the momentum with a 3-0 victory over Seattle Lutheran.

“It was clear from the start that the serve and serve receive game would be crucial to the team’s chances for success, and the girls did just well enough to defeat their two first  opponents,” said coach Hank Date.

The unranked Orcas hitters then faced the number one, five and nine ranked teams in the state vying for the top three spots advancing to the state playoffs in Yakima. The Vikings battled strong against La Conner in the first two games but stumbled in the last games, ending in a 3-1 loss. After 14 games over seven hours, the ladies then faced the tough Darrington Loggers, but the physical and emotional drain of the grueling all-day tournament took its toll with a 3-0 loss.

Twelve seniors ended their high school volleyball careers amid hugs and tears, short of making the state playoffs, but head coach Gregg Sasan told the girls to be proud of how far they had come this year as a team.