The Lions were able to edge out the Olympia Bears in 5 sets on Nov. 5, clinching the fifth seed in the highly competitive SPSL (South Puget Sound League). The Bears and the Lions were slated to compete for the fifth seed and the pressure to win was on as it is much more difficult to qualify for state as the sixth seed.

The Lions won set 1 with a strong performance from junior Bridget Woodruff, who was later named to the 2nd team all SPSL. But the Bears fought back and won set 2 and set 3 to jump out to a 2-1 lead. The Lions won a hard fought set 4, on the back of some great plays by seniors Ava Collelo and Ramsey Slack, who were both also named to the 2nd team all SPSL.

The Lions were able to quickly jump out to a strong lead to start the final set and beat the Bears 3-2. Outside Hitter and Captain Ramsey Slack once again led the team, as she has for the entire season, ending with an impressive 21 kills. Fellow captain Ava Collelo was also crucial to the victory, as she made numerous acrobatic defensive plays to keep the Lions in the game.

The Lions finished the regular season with an overall record of 12-6, and finished 4-4 in league play. After securing the fifth seed, the Lions will open the district tournament facing off against the Tahoma Bears on Nov. 11, who ended with an impressive overall record of 12-4, competing in the weaker 4A NSPL. The Lions will need to win 2 games to qualify for the state tournament in Yakima next week. Although the road to state is a rigorous challenge, the Lions believe that they have the depth and talent to compete in the highly competitive 4A SPSL.