The South Puget Sound Community College Clipper Volleyball team qualified to the NWAC Volleyball Championship Tournament, finishing off their season with a 6-6 record in conference play. The Clippers go in as the fourth seed from the West Region and will play in the Skagit Valley College Regional on November 16 at 1 p.m in Mount Vernon, Washington.
The Clippers had a great chance to qualify as the second seed in the West, but back-to-back losses to Centralia and Lower Columbia dropped them to the fourth seed in the region. Despite the defeats, the team is looking at the positives and are encouraged that they have made it to the postseason.
“Against Centralia, it was encouraging game because we played super well,” said Sophomore Outside Hitter Katelynn Wakefield. “That was the first time that we really shined as a team together instead of more individually. I think that carried us into the Lower Columbia game and we knew that it was going to be a hard game … Our energy carried into that game and at the end of the day, we fought as a team and we stuck together. Even if we didn’t get the outcome that we necessarily had hoped for, we still made it to playoffs.”
Now, the team faces their toughest challenge yet as they make the trip up north to play in the Skagit Valley Regional. The #1 seed and host of the regional, the Skagit Valley Cardinals, await them in the first game of the day. The Clippers are guaranteed to play two games in the regional and with two wins in the regional the ladies can qualify to the Elite 8.
The Clippers are quite the underdog going into the Skagit Valley matchup and Wakefield is relishing the opportunity to play spoiler in the tournament.
“We are a big underdog team and so this is kind of a boost for us just because it’s a lot more fun that way,” mentioned Wakefield. “We can have fun, we can try new things, do what we want, and just end the season together as a team. There’s not really any expectations for us, so we get to go in and if we beat Skagit, we beat Skagit. If we don’t, there’s still get another opportunity to make it. That’s not the end for us.”