SHORELINE — Freshman Bailey Nelson pounded out 27 kills to lead Marysville Pilchuck to a sweep of Ferndale in a 3A District 1 Tournament semifinal on Tuesday night, earning the Tomahawks a berth to the state tournament and setting them up to play for a district title at home on Saturday.
Sydney Jarvis tacked on six kills and Courtney Fitzmaurice dished out 29 assists for the Tomahawks (10-6), as they defeated Ferndale (12-4) 25-21 in all three sets.
“We spent a lot of time on controlling the game and minimizing our mistakes,” Marysville Pilchuck coach Brittany Fitzmaurice said. “We executed plays that we practiced, and we won because we earned our points, not because the other team gave us points.”
Nelson got the lion’s share of the swings for Marysville Pilchuck on Tuesday, but Fitzmaurice said she played intelligently on the offensive end.
“She hit almost everything, but she played very smart,” Fitzmaurice said. “She saw holes and went for them, but she can be a very unpredictable player. She jumps so quickly and swings so fast that no one can pick up her attack.”
Pilchuck will take on Edmonds-Woodway for the district title at 5 p.m. on Saturday, and the Tomahawks will be looking to avenge a regular-season defeat to the Warriors.
“Being able to play a final match at home is huge any way you look at it,” Fitzmaurice said. “Edmonds-Woodway is a very competitive team that has strong middles, so we’ll have to be good at blocking in the middle. We’ve been really good about corrective action and taking things back home and fixing them.”
At Shorewood H.S.
Marysville Pilchuck252525—3
Ferndale212121—0
Highlights—Marysville Pilchuck: Kendal McCoy 18 digs; Bailey Nelson, 27 kills; Courtney Fitzmaurice, 29 assists; Sydney Jarvis, 10 digs, six kills. Ferndale: Whitney Walker, 18 kills; Abby Reed, 35 assists; Brittany Ollinger, 13 digs. Records—Marysville Pilchuck 10-6 overall. Ferndale 12-4.
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