Two weeks ago the Oak Harbor High School volleyball team was in eighth place in the Western Conference standings. Today it is the sixth best 3A team in the state of Washington.

Getting hot at the right time, the Wildcats won six of their final nine matches, finishing second at district and sixth at state along the way.

Oak Harbor finished out the state tournament Saturday, Nov. 16, at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey by sweeping third-ranked Shadle Park of Spokane 3-0 and losing to Wesco rival Meadowdale 3-1 in the match for fifth and sixth places.

The Wildcats started their impressive post season run by upsetting Meadowdale in the first round of the district tournament, but the Mavericks topped Oak Harbor 25-12, 17-25, 25-20, 25-18 Saturday.

In Oak Harbor’s win over Shadle Park 25-21, 25-16, 25-22, Kayleigh Harper tallied 15 kills, four blocks and 10 digs; Haley Beecher had 31 assists; Claire Anderson recorded 10 kills; and Natalie McVey and Deanna Ruben had 10 and 12 digs respectively.

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The sixth-place Oak Harbor volleyball team: front row, left to right: Kimberly Forster, AnnaBelle Whitefoot, Natalie McVey, Deanna Ruben, Priya Osborne, Hailey Beecher, Aubrey Lock; back row: coach Kerri Molitor, coach Rick Swankie, Makenna Martyn, Amelia Berner, Hannah Gluth, Claire Anderson, Kenna Prosch, Kayleigh Harper, Geslyne Barreta, trainer Trevor Reed, Kaylee Lamb, coach Amanda Reed, coach Dan Potter. Photo by Ron Newberry.