Blaine loses by 2 in fifth set against Ferndale

Blaine’s Camryn Vosloh goes airborne during a 3-2 loss against Ferndale on Tuesday, October 24. Photo by Janell Kortlever.

By Oliver Lazenby

After losing two sets against Ferndale on October 24, the Blaine girls varsity volleyball rallied against the second-ranked team and won the next two sets 25-23 and 25-19.

“They were just a little intimidated playing Ferndale,” head coach Bryan Clausen said. “It took them two sets to realize they can play with them. Blaine hasn’t had a team this good in a long time, so they’re not used to playing even or ahead against some of these big schools.”

Blaine took the lead in the fifth set after a four-point run, but Ferndale came back to win 15-13. The loss gives Blaine an 8-5 record (7-5 in conference games).

The regular season ends Thursday, and the Borderites have already secured a spot in the post-season. The loss to Ferndale means they will have to play a loser-out game in the first round of playoffs.

A win in their final game against Lakewood would secure the Borderites at least a sixth seed in the first round, which means they’d play the loser-out game against the 11th seeded team.

The Borderites have had a hard stretch of games; before Ferndale, they played top-ranked Burlington-Edison and third-ranked Lynden Christian.

Though Blaine lost those games, Clausen thinks facing teams of that caliber helped them mentally prepare for playoffs.

“A close game against Ferndale gives them some more confidence in their abilities,” Clausen said. “I’m proud of the girls. It’s really coming together at the end of the season.”

Blaine plays its last game of the regular season at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, October 26 at Lakewood. Blaine’s currently tied with Lakewood in the 2A Northwest Conference.

The district tournament starts on Tuesday, October 31.