The Yelm volleyball team went toe-to-toe with 2A Sequim and fell short 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 20-25, 19-25) Thursday night at home.
Bailey Whalen, Yelm’s first-year head coach, made her debut on the sideline for the Tornados. Her team jumped out to an impressive start, taking the first set from the Wolves 25-23 before dropping the next two by identical scores of 25-20.
But in the fourth set, Yelm flashed its resilience. Trailing 24-11, the Tornados stormed back with an 8-0 run to put pressure on the Wolves, who eventually closed it out 25-19.
“First night coaching was awesome. My kids have so much heart and want to work hard for their success,” Whalen said. “They had a lot to celebrate tonight: meeting goals they’ve been working toward in practice and fighting from a huge deficit in the last set. I’m proud of their effort, and I’m excited to see them continue to grow and surprise people.”
Yelm (0-1) will visit Black Hills (1-0) Wednesday, Sept. 9 before returning home Monday, Sept. 14 to face Toledo.
