TUMWATER — Throughout the course of the season, the Tumwater volleyball team hasn’t had to rely on one player to carry the offense.
With a balanced attack and deep roster, they’ve been able to spread the wealth offensively, which makes things difficult for opposing defenses.
Thursday was no different for the Thunderbirds, who handled their business in a 25-13, 25-20, 25-11 sweep of Washougal in the first round of the 2A District 4 Tournament.
As they often do, the T-Birds were able to rely on several different hitters at the net. Four different hitters recorded at least five kills, led by Whitney Van Gorkom, who tallied 12.
Paige Henderson added seven kills, Natalie Montoya-Kilmer had six, and Chloe Henderson tallied five.
“We’re doing a really good job of playing together and spreading our offense out,” Tumwater coach Molly Cichosz said. “It’s really hard for teams to block everyone really well. We’re just playing really well as a unit.”
The defense was playing just as well, which allowed the offense to be more decisive with their approach.
“The offense doesn’t feel like they have to put away every ball because they know they’re going to get another chance,” Cichosz said. “They wait for the right ball and then they put it away.”
Brooklynn Hayes led the defense with 19 digs, while Bri Zavala had nine, McKayle Clary added eight, and Lalie Betschart dug out seven balls. Emily Robello had six of her own, while also being the facilitator on offense, where she dished out 22 assists.
The Thunderbirds also had a stellar night serving, totalling 10 aces as a team. Betschart had three of them, while Henderson, Hayes and Zavala each added two.
While the team’s balance has been key throughout the season, Cichosz said that it will be especially beneficial as they get deeper into the postseason.
“Any one person, if they have a bad game, that’s fine,” Cichosz said. “Because we have five other people on the court that can take it over for them. It just helps that other people can step up to the plate if that happens.”
With the win, the Thunderbirds advance to the district semifinals, where they’ll take on Ridgefield and Team USA U19 standout Lizzy Andrew at 11 a.m in Tumwater.
The winner of that game will clinch a state tournament bid and advance to the district championship game at 3 p.m. The loser will drop to the consolation bracket and play a winner-to-state game at 1 p.m. Those games are also at Tumwater.
