La Conner volleyball defeats Anacortes in season debut

The roster is different, but the result was the same.

The defending state 2B champion La Conner High School volleyball team opened its 2022 season with an impressive triumph over 2A Anacortes at Landy James Gym Thursday, Sept. 8.

The most imposing part clearly was a 13-2 run to close out the second set and erase what had been a 20-12 Seahawk lead.

"It was a little setback for us," senior middle blocker Makayla Herrera said of the brief deficit midway through the match, "but we were able to come back."

Following a timeout, senior outside hitter Ellie Marble blasted a monster kill that fueled the decisive rally.

osie Harper delivered four consecutive service points and freshman Maeve McCormick later put La Conner in front 22-21 with a well-timed block.

Herrera and Marble combined on three kills to finish off the set.

"After I got that kill on the right side and then when we scored the next point, we knew we could do it," Marble, a Central Washington University commit, said afterward.

Anacortes never recovered. La Conner scored the first eight points in the third set and never looked back.

La Conner, which cruised 25-13 in the opening frame, finished with a 25-11 victory in the third and final set.

La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble liked how her club responded to adversity in its first outing of the season.

"We've been working on the little things," she told the Weekly News. "Especially communication. We did very well with that for our first match with a new crew. Everybody is finding their voice."

The team's stat sheet spoke volumes.

Ellie Marble was flawless on 13 service attempts, including a pair of aces. She also recorded a team-high 24 kills and added a dozen digs.

Junior setter Abby Udlock had 29 assists while junior outside hitter Morgan Huizenga was 16-of-16 from the service stripe, matching Marble with two aces, and notching seven kills.

Herrera was strong on the front row with six kills and three blocks. Natalee Koch, the team's junior defensive specialist, extended points with 12 digs.

As a team, La Conner controlled the match's tempo by serving at a 93% clip.

"It wasn't a bad start," said coach Marble. "I'm really pleased with how we played and how we held it together when we got down in the second set."

La Conner returns to Landy James Gym Sept. 19 at 7:15 p.m. against Sehome.