Tides earn key win over Bellarmine

Emotional week gives Gig Harbor a lift in match against Lions

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

Gig Harbor senior volleyball player Kelsie Jenkins’ eyes began to fill up with tears after the Tides swept Bellarmine Prep in three games last Wednesday in a Class 4A Narrows League contest at Gig Harbor High School.

But Jenkins’ emotions had more to do with an incident that occurred just two days prior to the match that had league championship implications.

Jenkins and other players, some from Bellarmine Prep, were mourning the death of a popular student who reportedly committed suicide on Oct. 12.

The student, Peter Haas, was a former Gig Harbor High School wrestler. Tides classmates said Haas had an older brother who had previously committed suicide.

“We have had a hard week this week,” Jenkins said. “We just played for each other, and we played for Peter.”

Gig Harbor volleyball coach Sue Westering was Haas’ teacher and said people at the school had heavy hearts.

“And yet, we really wanted to play for each other, and for the memory of Peter,” Westering said. “That’s what we tried to do. It was so fun to see them rise up and play.”

The Tides (12-0 overall, 8-0 league) played with passion in their 25-14, 25-15, 29-27 win over the Lions. Gig Harbor will try to remain undefeated in league play when it hosts Olympia (11-0, 7-0) at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday.

Jenkins, who finished with two blocks, said the Tides came out with energy. Teammate Maddy Miller opened with a serve and sparked Gig Harbor to a 10-0 lead.

The Tides controlled the first game, and their momentum carried into the second.

Gig Harbor’s Andrea Farmer said it was the team’s best performance of the season so far.

“We raised the bar, and I feel like this game we really stepped it up,” Farmer said.

After Gig Harbor staked itself to a two-game advantage, Bellarmine Prep (5-6, 5-2) rallied behind Victoria Fisher’s game-high nine kills.

But the Tides battled. They made few mistakes and demonstrated heart when they came back from a game-point situation twice to win 29-27.

“It was great to be able to do that and not let that go,” Westering said. “To battle for it at the end shows the heart of a champion.”

Miller finished with a game-high 33 assists, and Anna Guenther led the Tides with 11 kills.