The four-seed Kingston Buccaneers hosted the five-seed North Mason Bulldogs in the first round of the Olympic League volleyball tournament Nov. 1.
The winner of the match moved into the final four of the league championship and qualified for districts while the losing team’s season may possibly come to an end.
The Bulldogs upset the Buccaneers 3-0, winning each set by two points.
Since Kingston will not receive one of the four allocations to the district tournament, it will have to hope to grab one of the three at-large bids. Luckily, Kingston has been bouncing around the Top-25 rankings this season after close losses to North Kitsap and tough wins over Port Angeles.
Kingston looked lethargic in the first set, falling behind 4-1 early. However, the Buccanneers responded, forcing North Mason to create mistakes on its end.
After Kingston took a 10-6 lead, North Mason called its first timeout. The Bulldogs adapted their game plans well throughout the night after timeouts.
North Mason won nine of the next 10 points to take a 15-11 lead. Kingston responded and tied the game at 19-19 before North Mason called its second timeout. Bulldog middle blocker Adrianna Tupolo took over the first set with a handful of solo blocks and kills. A few points later, Ivana Moore ended the first set at 25-23.
North Mason continued to take advantage of Kingston’s mental mistakes. The Bucs watched several balls land inbounds and hit the ball into the net several times. Yet, the Buccaneers held an 11-8 lead halfway through the set.
The Bulldogs bounced back after their third timeout. Bulldog Desarae Timmons and Kingston’s Grace Mosco continued to lead their troops through the final points of the second set. North Mason’s Teegan Skionsby ended it at 27-25 with an ace and a kill.
Kingston fell into the same trap in the third set. After taking a lead at the midpoint, North Mason altered its game plan again. Timmons took over, scoring a kill and an ace that hit the line to win the final set 27-25.
Ivana Moore controlled the middle of the net in the first couple of sets.
