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After not taking the court for 17 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two-time defending state 2B champion La Conner High volleyball team needed less than an hour to defeat league rival Orcas Island in the season opening match for both schools Thursday afternoon at Landy James Gym.

Waiting nearly a year and a half to play less than 60 minutes is not an ideal scenario, but La Conner is on a mission during its modified one-month spring campaign to make the best of a situation that is still a marked improvement over last fall when no volleyball was played because of the virus crisis.

“We treat it like any other season,” La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble, who has guided the program to five state crowns, said after the 2021 team debuted with a straight-sets 25-7, 25-9, 25-5 conference triumph. “We’re out there competing as hard as we can, trying to do the best we can.”

The young, scrappy Orcas netters can attest to that.

After bolting to a quick 2-0 lead in the opening set, the Lady Vikings fell prey to a La Conner attack able to deliver big hits from multiple angles. The hosts went on an 11-2 tear, spurred by service aces from A.J. Thulen and booming kills at the net by Ellie Marble and Sarah Cook, forcing Orcas to take an early timeout.

The ploy did not work. La Conner closed with a 14-3 run keyed by strong front-line play from Katie Watkins and Morgan Huizenga and clutch serving by Marble, who delivered three straight aces to wrap up the set.

Marble finished the afternoon with five aces, two shy of Cook’s team-best seven service whiffs.

Cook put 21 of her 22 serves in play. As a team, La Conner served at a 95 per cent clip with 21 aces.

La Conner led wire-to-wire in each of the next two sets. Aubrie Sloniker, Emma Keller, Hannah Cook and libero Rachel Cram also got in on the act, extending rallies and helping the Lady Braves maintain safe double-digit leads.

Keller ignited the Lady Braves attack with 25 assists, averaging just over eight per set.

Though being idle since capturing the 2019 state title in November of that year, La Conner gave few signs of being rusty. A classic example came in the third set with La Conner leading 18-4. Orcas appeared on the verge of winning the point with a strong attack, but the Lady Braves salvaged it with a defensive flurry that bought time for Marble to re-establish herself at the net and deliver a rocketing kill.

Few, however, were able to see La Conner’s dominance.

Due to increased COVID-19 cases in the San Juan Islands, Orcas requested that no fans be admitted. The media and persons affiliated with either team were socially distanced throughout the nearly empty gym.

Having often played before packed crowds in large arenas, La Conner went about its business as if it were back at the spacious Yakima Sun Dome competing for yet another state championship.

That, of course, cannot happen because of the pandemic, thus denying the Lady Braves a shot at a third consecutive state title. La Conner and other NW2B schools are now limited to playing league matches, with some pairings –as was the case on Thursday – sparsely attended out of an abundance of caution.

“It doesn’t change for us,” coach Marble insisted. “We talked beforehand about how everybody wished their families and friends could be here for the match, but we reminded one another that we’re a volleyball family. We’re here for each other.”

KEY LA CONNER STATS

Ellie Marble 14 kills, 5 service

aces, 5 digs

Emma Keller 25 assists, 4

service aces

Sarah Cook 6 kills, 7 service

aces, 9 digs

Rachel Cram 7 digs

Katie Watkins 4 kills