Ferndale volleyball heads back to state

Ferndale volleyball claimed their place at the state tournament with a 25-16, 25-17, 25-15 win over Oak Harbor on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.

With the win, Ferndale is ranked third coming out of the Class 3A Northwest District Tournament. The Golden Eagles played Lynnwood immediately before Oak Harbor in the second consolation round, winning 3-1.

“We had to recover a little bit after the loss on Thursday,” Ferndale coach Patti Hoelzle said in a phone interview. “We needed to make sure we controlled what we needed to control on our side of the net and we did that.”

Rose Compton led with 10 kills and four blocks. Whitney Walker followed with nine kills and seven assists. Taryn Potter also earned nine kills.

“Taryn Potter played phenomenally,” Hoezle said. “She is steady and and consistent. Her intensity never drops. Rose was aggressive and attacking, not only on the offense but also on the defense with those blocks. It was a key part of the game today having them in the middle.”

Ferndale’s volleyball team has five seniors, some of whom have been to state three times now, Hoezle said. It was their hope to be able to go again for their last year with the Golden Eagles.

“I’m really proud of this group of girls and I’m excited with them moving on,” she said. “We look forward to making some history for Ferndale volleyball at state this year.”

The Class 3A State Championship will begin on Nov. 13, at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.

NOTE: Location of Class 3A State Championships corrected on Nov. 8, 2015.

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Ferndale volleyball heads back to state."