Davis volleyball spent the last few weeks of practice focusing on its defense to prepare for the powerful attacks it's likely to face at this week's 4A state tournament.
Coach Steve Standley knows the ability to stop opponents will be critical to success at the Yakima Valley SunDome, where the No. 9 seeded Pirates will open play against No. 8 Issaquah Friday morning at 11:45 a.m. Assistant coach Sarah Ketzenberg spends time giving players individual instruction on footwork timing and other elements while Standley leads the group through opponent strategies and how to read plays as they develop.
"We're covering a lot more, a lot better," Standley said. "It just seems like we're gelling as a team in the right moment, so we're really kind of excited to see what this weekend brings."
Senior libero Malia Wheeler said they've put special emphasis on their weaknesses, notably blocking and covering the court. She spends a lot of time watching film to determine tendencies of opposing hitters, and her communication's vital to keep everyone in the best positions.
The former La Salle setter's played that position along with primary setter Isa Garcia at times, racking up 79 assists in 14 matches, including 17 in a historic win at West Valley. But Wheeler, who's 5-foot-3, said the Pirates need more height at setter when they play tall teams like Wenatchee, so she's happily taken over the libero role while the 5-foot-8 Garcia plays setter full-time.
No matter her position, Standley said Wheeler's proven to be a valuable passer on the back line, transitioning Davis from defense to offense by putting the ball in the right spots. She's always ready to move and sacrifice her body when needed to keep a point alive.
"It's satisfying when you're able to get a really big hit up," said Wheeler, an All-Big 9 honorable mention selection who's recorded 174 digs in 15 regular season matches. "Especially against Wenatchee when I'm able to dig them, it's really fun to me. It really pumps us up."
Sophomore Paige Gasseling said she admires the digs and passes of Wheeler and others in part because Gasseling struggles with that part of her game. Instead, the all-conference honorable mention middle blocker's counted on to stop teams at the net alongside Davis outside and opposite hitters Kailey Willsey, Cheyenne Hull, Kobe Johnson and Averie Brandt.
Big-time blocks can generate serious energy and momentum for the Pirates as well, an accomplishment they celebrate with a "wooooooo!" when the team comes together following a point. Gasseling moved to middle blocker two years ago when she started playing club volleyball for Team Yakima, and Wheeler said the 6-foot super sub for the basketball league champs a year ago has become a "big wall" at the net.
Standley said coaches keep working with Gasseling and the team's other middle blockers on jumping closer to the net, so their hands reach over without allowing any space for a hit to fall between them and the net. Gasseling said they spend a lot of time studying tendencies of opposing hitters on film and she gave special praise to Willsey, a Central Washington signee, for sharing her insights with teammates.
"Kailey's a really big help with that kind of stuff because she's able to see the court and see where everybody is at or who's stacked and whanot," said Gasseling's, who notched 20 blocks in 15 regular season matches. "So she's really good with communicating with us, 'hey, they might run this' or 'they might do this' or 'make sure you're watching this.' It's pretty helpful for whoever we need to stack the block on."
When an outside blocker like Willsey's able to close off a down-the-line attack, it makes covering the floor easier for Wheeler and everyone else on the back line. They're also reminded by coaches to watch the players rather than the ball, looking for any clues as to where they might aim.
Just a few extra digs or blocks throughout a match could make all the difference for the Pirates, whose only losses came to 2A runner-up Ellensburg and the 4A bracket's No. 2 seed, Wenatchee. Even though Davis never won a set against the Panthers in three best-of-five matches, the scores usually stayed close and the Pirates won a best-of-three match in the SunDome Volleyball Festival Championship.
Issaquah's two first-team all-league freshman outside hitters, Bryn Walcott and Molly Yoshino, will pose the first challenge for the Davis defense. If the Pirates win they would likely face No. 1 Curtis and an offense featuring two Division I hitters, Santa Clara beach volleyball signee Avery Cukjati and South Florida beach volleyball signee Ariana Medchill.
Standley said like Davis, Curtis can attack well from both the front and back row with several strong hitters, so the Pirates will need to be ready to adjust their block as needed. But he's confident Davis can compete with anyone and bring home the program's first trophy since finishing fourth in 1979.