The lady warriors lost their zone battle in the fourth match at the zone championships against Eureka last weekend.

“Kathy Bluethman would have been proud of our lady warriors this volleyball season,” parent Pam Jimenez stated in an email. “It was an amazing season of improvement that placed them as No. 2 going into the zone playoffs. The lady warriors wore their pink volleyball jerseys not only in October this year but through the end of the season in memory of Kathy Bluethman, Whittell’s former AD who lost her battle with cancer earlier this year.”

During the season, a game was also dedicated to “Ms. B.” The team consisted of seven seniors, some of which had only one year of experience.

“It’s been a pleasure coaching the warrior volleyball team,” Coach Kristi Moore said. “We had a few things we needed to work out in the beginning. Once we got going though, there was no stopping us.

“Zoe Bertz lead the league this season with the most digs, 421. She was second in the league with 195 kills and she contributed 29 aces and 226 service points. She was a great asset to our team! Tori Jimenez led our team with 41 aces, and scored 91 kills and 279 digs. Tori was the highest scorer with 345 service points on the team, and was also a very important part of getting us to zone. Hailey Elliott lead the league with 436 set assists and was a first-year setter. Adding 45 aces and 249 services points, she did a fabulous job this year. Another very important part of our team was Kelsey Kjer, who will do a great job leading the warriors next year.

“Even though we didn’t make it to state, I couldn’t be more proud of these girls. They played great volleyball and that’s what we set out to do. I’m looking forward to next year.”