Ferndale loses in Class 3A district semifinal

Ferndale volleyball lost to Shorewood 25-18, 25-23, 25-23 in the semifinal round of the Class 3A Northwest District Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 5, at Shorewood High School.

“We knew tonight was going to be a battle,” Ferndale coach Patti Hoelzle said in a phone interview. “Shorewood is a tall, hard-playing, undefeated team. We knew we were in for a big game and we were prepared for that, but we couldn’t find their weakness.”

Whitney Walker led Ferndale in every category, earning 12 kills, 16 digs and five aces. Taryn Potter earned 10 kills and Rose Compton had four blocks.

The three games were close with Ferndale trailing close behind Shorewood the entire time.

“This is a very hard-working group of girls,” Hoelzle said. “We still need to get to the state championship and we can if we come back on Saturday.”

The top three district finishers will go on to the state tournament, which starts Friday, Nov. 13. Ferndale needs to win its next two games to go.

“This team is mature enough that if anyone can come back, it’s them,” she said.

Ferndale will play Lynnwood at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in a consolation second-round match.

If they win, they will play again at 1 p.m. to determine the third-place winner of the district tournament.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 10:11 PM with the headline "Ferndale loses in Class 3A district semifinal."