Kent, Tahoma teams battle for playoff spots | Volleyball

In a short South Puget Sound League North volleyball season all it takes is a loss or two to make things difficult for a team with playoff aspirations.

Each team plays nine league games between mid-September and the third week of October.

This fall, five games into the SPSL North schedule, it’s been something of a roller coaster ride. Auburn Riverside is at the top of the standings as of Monday with Kent-Meridian and Kentwood tied for second, while Kentridge, Kentlake and Tahoma are bunched up in the middle at 3-2 in league play.

Tahoma, which has been to state two of the past three seasons, has been hampered by injuries to top players while trying to replace long-time setter Miranda Grieser, who graduated in the spring.

Kentwood replaces a number of players who made it to the 4A state title match a year ago and also has its third coach in as many seasons.

Kentlake came out of the gate strong in league play and started with a 3-1 record in the North. This is important to a team that is focused on the playoffs. The Falcons have missed out on the playoffs in recent years.

Falcons Head Coach Courtney Grady wrote in an email that her players are dedicated to working hard. She has four seniors, two juniors and four sophomores, so it’s a mix of experience but Grady feels like the push over the summer to focus on teamwork and pride – as well as fundamentals – has paid off.

“The first day of practice we wrote on the board in big letters, ‘PLAYOFFS,’” Grady wrote. “It has been our goal since day one. We want to be a program that is always in playoff contention. This awesome group of girls are trying to get us and Kentlake back there.’”

Kentridge is in the thick of things, as always, and Kent-Meridian is looking to build on an historic 2011 season by putting together a deep state run in 2012 with the Royals hoping to cap it off with some hardware.

For Bears Coach Sally Eager, in her fourth season with the team, the biggest struggle has been players who have battled injury and illness.

“We’ve already lost more games than we did all of last year,” Eager said. “Injuries are horrible. I’ve got a good group here. They can play, they can win. They have good chemistry. They all get along. They have fun. We’re still just lacking that spark.”

Both losses Tahoma had experienced by the second week of the season had been in five games. In one, they were missing senior outside hitter Rachelle Frets, a powerhouse above the net who has played varsity all four years.

“Rachelle is more than just a good hitter,” Eager said. “She’s a good team player.”

Eager said the team needs to get healthy quickly because there’s not a lot of time left to secure a playoff spot. The team has gone each year since she took over coaching duties. The hope is to not just make post-season play but to go back to state and this year bringing home a trophy.

“We have the latent but we need them all healthy and here,” Eager said. “We just need consistency. I think that’s the key.”

Meanwhile, Kentwood’s new coach Mike Vakerics inherited a talented group of returning players.

“I’m very excited with the opportunity to coach this group of KW athletes,” Vakerics wrote in an email interview. “They are extremely athletic and our skill level is pretty solid across the board. Lauren Hackett, Mele Halahuni and Sara Toeaina will be forces to be reckoned with as they are gifted athletes and solid leaders.”

Vakerics, who moved to the area with his wife and son from Michigan, has coached volleyball for 20 years. When he’s not coaching volleyball he’s working in The Boeing Co.’s training center in Tukwila. He has four children, three of whom are grown while one is a setter for the Air Force Academy. His wife the junior varsity coach for Kentwood and assists Vakerics with the varsity squad.

Kentwood has depth, Vakerics said, which bodes well for overall team success.