Moses Lake volleyball continues to improve

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake volleyball team finished one game shy of qualifying for the 4A State Volleyball Tournament for the first time in program history this season, having fallen to Davis 3-0 in the second-place game of the Columbia Basin Big 9 district tournament. 

Despite the loss in districts, the Mavericks have continued to improve upon their win total in each of the last three seasons; from 0-11 in 2021, Moses Lake finished this year with a 13-6 record. The Mavericks won seven games in 2022 and eight games in 2023. 

“They’re no longer overlooked, they are considered a threat in the Big 9,” head coach Krystal Trammell said. “We saw that multiple times and multiple teams would say it’s going to come down to who is on for that day for that district spot. It could have been any of us.” 

Prior to the matchup with Davis on Nov. 9, Moses Lake had won six consecutive games following an Oct. 22 loss to Wenatchee; during that stretch, the Mavericks defeated Ephrata 3-0, Prosser 3-0, Eisenhower 3-0 and Eastmont 3-1 in the regular season finale.  

“We knew our end game was to play for a berth to state, and they were excited,” Trammell said. “They knew where they were headed, and it was just a matter of being mentally tough and going into every match and practice and saying, ‘This is what we need to do to better ourselves every time out.’” 

The win streak extended to five games with a 3-0 sweep of Eastmont in the first round of districts. 

“As they started playing, they just got the confidence and they were playing really well,” Trammell said. “They were looking for the holes, they knew where to set the ball, where to hit the ball around the blockers and what was open.” 

On Oct. 17, Moses Lake defeated West Valley (Yakima) 3-1 for their first win over the Rams in program history, according to Trammell. To advance further in districts, it would take another win over the Rams. 

Moses Lake won the match 3-1 to advance to play Davis later that day for a berth into the state tournament.  

“We knew that we could do it, and seeing them take the court, they were very comfortable,” Trammell said. “During warm-ups, right before we went out in our huddle, and they just performed. They knew what they needed to do and performed.” 

The Pirates gave trouble to Moses Lake in the winner-to-state match, as Davis defeated the Mavericks for the third time this season with a 3-0 win. The loss eliminated Moses Lake from the district tournament. 

“They had changed their offense a bit, and it seemed to be a little bit faster,” Trammell said. “Our blocks were having a little bit more difficulty getting to where they needed to be.” 

Trammell noted how the program continues to grow both on and off the court as positive takeaways from the 2024 season, and that the team is “on our way” to qualifying for a state berth for the first time in program history in the coming seasons. 

“The girls have learned so much about the physical aspect of playing the game, but also the mental aspect and their skillset,” Trammell said. “Every year, their skillset gets better, the strategizing gets better; just the general knowledge and questions.” 

Moses Lake will graduate four seniors off of its roster this season; Rhylee Humphrey, Kaelsy Wiltbank, Makenna Stuart and Madison Bond. 

“They’ve been running the offense and holding down that defense,” Trammell said. “It’s going to be hard because you become attached, and you form those relationships with them; I just hope that they take with them what they’ve learned and use their experience here with us the last four years in their adult life.” 

    Moses Lake senior Madison Bond (11) tips the ball over the net during an Oct. 10 match against Sunnyside.
  

    Moses Lake senior Kaelsy Wiltbank serves the ball to Sunnyside during a match against the Grizzlies on Oct. 10.
  

    Moses Lake junior Kardyn Martinez tips the ball away from a Sunnyside blocker during a match on Oct. 10. The Mavericks went 7-5 in league play this season.