For the first time since 2017, two teams from the 2A EvCo have made the state tournament, as both Tumwater and Black Hills earned spots in last weekends district tournament.
The T-Birds enter the tournament having gone 17-2 in the regular season and district tournament, including a perfect 12-0 mark in league play.
Led by the trio of all-league first-team honorees Brooklynn Hayes, Paige Henderson and Emily Robello, the Thunderbirds have only lost seven sets all season. Whitney Van Gorkom and Natalie Montoya-Kilmer have also been solid contributors, and they were named to the all-league second-team.
Their two losses are respectable, as they fell to 3A North Thurston back in September and lost to Ridgefield, the No. 6 seed in the state tournament bracket, in the district semifinals on Saturday.
Tumwater is just one spot back of the Spudders at No. 7, and they’ll take on No. 10 Shadle Park on Friday at 12:45 p.m.
A win would potentially set them up with one of their biggest challenges, yet, as they would likely face No. 2 Lynden in the quarterfinals.
As for the Wolves, they are led by 2A EvCo MVP Ashley Harris, who broke the school’s single season kills record. She has 405 going into the state tournament.
Harris isn’t the only one who’s had success for Black Hills this fall, however. Seniors Claire Johnson and Lily Kincaid also earned first-team all-league honors, and second-team all-league sophomore Ellie Johnson has cemented herself as another offensive option late in the season.
Their five losses have come against some of the best teams in the state. They also lost to 3A North Thurston, 3A Capital, reigning 2A state champion Columbia River, and Tumwater (twice).
Outside of that they went 10-0 against the other five EvCo teams.
As the No. 12 seed, the Wolves will take on No. 5 White River, which went 19-1 in the regular season. That game will also begin at 12:45 p.m.
For a full list of seedings and first-round matchups, click here.
