ADNA — In the moments following the Adna volleyball team’s practice on Thursday, a few Pirates set up near the net, and an assistant coach started lobbing balls up for them.
Adna coach Wendie Dotson watched on, just as she was talking about how much extra work this team was putting in after the end of last season.
“They decided what they wanted to do, what we needed mentally and physically to get to the next level,” Dotson said. “And that’s what they’ve been doing since the season ended.”
Last season ended exactly the same as the 2022 season, with the Pirates falling in the state quarterfinals before rattling off two wins in a row to take fifth place at the state tournament in Yakima.
The 2023 finish was more of a disappointment for the Pirates, though. Not only was it the second year in a row that they had failed to reach the final four, but they were also undefeated prior to their loss in the quarterfinal.
It was the first time that the Pirates had entered the state tournament unbeaten.
“Coming back down two games to get fifth (in 2022) was an emotional high for us,” Dotson said. “But then to go 21-1 and only take fifth was really disappointing because the girls worked so hard … I was emotional for them, because I know how hard they worked.”
Kendall Humphrey, last year’s C2BL MVP, is one of several seniors that played a major role last season. Danika Hallom, Karsyn Freeman, and Gaby Guard all earned all-league honors in 2023, and Jaylee Humphrey and Ava Simms are also back in the mix.
“We’re really just playing for each other,” Guard said. “We’re communicating better, and playing as a team rather than playing for ourselves.”
The Pirates will have to be at their best early in the season, as they’ll face multiple 1B schools and Manson, the reigning 2B champion. They’re also taking part in a tournament in Freeman, which made the 1A state title game last season.
“We purposely have scheduled some games that are gonna test us,” Dotson said. “That’s gonna be great for us.”
After that tough stretch to open the season, it’s the usual C2BL suspects. Last season, the Pirates won the league championship before dispatching Toledo, Adna, and Toutle Lake to win their first district title since 2011.
Repeating as league and district champions are two of the goals that this senior core has for this season, but ultimately, they have their eyes set on the biggest prize.
“Placing fifth two years in a row makes us grit our teeth,” Kendall Humphrey said. “There’s some extra fire this year.”
