Out of all the sports banners hanging in the South Kitsap High School gymnasium that denote postseason accomplishments, the banner for volleyball is positioned in a prime spot: all the way on the left hand side, directly across from where spectators sit.
As far as the banner itself, it's also the barest of the ones on display. It notes the the Wolves won a league title in 2000 and qualified for state tournament play the same year. That's it. The past two decades has been quiet it terms of playoff accomplishments.
The Wolves are trying to make some noise this year and have been West Sound's busiest team through the first two weeks of the season.
South Kitsap improved to 4-3 on Tuesday with a four-set win over visiting Sumner. The Wolves led 2-1 before securing victory with a 25-22 win in set four. It was South Kitsap's second South Puget Sound League 4A victory in three league matches and an encouraging result considering the Wolves played without leading hitter, senior Anna Harvey, who sat out after being involved in a minor car accident on the way to the game.
"We definitely did well at fighting for the last points of the game, I think we rallied together," said senior libero Melia Fundanet. "I think that's something we've been working on as a team: hyping each other up, celebrating the little things. Encouragement is a big one for us."
Multiple head coaches of various sports at South Kitsap have spoken in recent years about the challenges the Wolves have faced since leaving behind the Narrows League for the SPSL in 2016. Teams from the SPSL routinely win and challenge state titles in sports both major and minor — and volleyball is no different.
"My best team ever, we finished sixth in our league — and five went to district," said South Kitsap volleyball coach CJ Scott, referring to the Wolves' 2016 season, their first in the SPSL. Four of those SPSL teams finished in the top eight at state.
In 2021, SPSL teams finished second, third, and eighth at state.
South Kitsap was never a powerhouse volleyball program in the Narrows League, but the Wolves often held their own. Scott started coaching the team in 2013.
"In the Narrows League, we went to districts two of the three years," Scott added, "and neither one of those teams is nearly as good as this one."
South Kitsap went winless in the SPSL from 2017-19 and won two league matches in 2021. In explaining his team's struggles against SPSL foes, Scott points to a gap in experience. South Kitsap's roster is short on players who've competed and trained with club programs for more than one year.
Scott noted club volleyball can be quite expensive, making it prohibitive for many of his players and their families. On the flip side, Scott sees no shortage of club talent every time he enters an opposing school's gymnasium.
"In our league, 90% of the players of every team we play are club," Scott said.
While South Kitsap may not be blessed with top-level club talent, the Wolves are in a healthy spot numbers-wise. Scott said 100 players signed up for the sport this year and 80 showed up for the first day of tryouts, allowing the school to easily fill out its four teams: varsity, junior varsity, C-team and freshmen.
South Kitsap's varsity roster is diversified with one freshman, one sophomore, five juniors and five seniors. The team has no shortage of hitters after being more defensive-oriented in 2021.
"We definitely have the potential to beat some of the higher teams," Fundanet said.
Competing in the five-team SPSL North Division, South Kitsap will play Puyallup, Curtis, Bellarmine and Sumner twice, while facing South Division opponents (Graham-Kapowsin, Emerald Ridge, Olympia, Bethel and Rogers) once.
Falling one win shy of qualifying for the West Central District tournament last year, the Wolves are off to a quality start this fall. Yet they'll need to add to their league win total down the stretch to put themselves in position to break through a playoff barrier that's blocked them for too long. The top four teams in each division qualify for district play this year.
"It's all about the finish," Fundanet said.