By Gail Wood
As an eternal optimist, Tana Otton isn’t surprised Tumwater made it to the state volleyball tournament for a third straight year.
It’s just how they got there that surprises the Thunderbird coach. With just two returning starters, a freshman starting and leading the T-Birds in nearly every stat, and a blocker moved to setter, Tumwater goes into the 2A state tournament ranked number one in the state.
“I don’t know what’s the matter with me, but no matter what we have coming back, I always feel we have a shot,” said Otton, who is in her 11th season as Tumwater’s head coach. “We’ve had a rollercoaster ride and I feel like we’re headed in the right direction.”
At district, the T-birds were both cold (they lost the first game to both Woodland and Richfield) and red hot (they won three straight games against those two teams and cruised to the district title). At 21-5 overall (only losses are to bigger schools like Oly), 6-0 in the Evergreen Conference and undefeated at district, Tumwater has been a learn-and-grow team.
Leading the way has been MacKenzie Bowen, the league MVP. Whatever role Bowen is asked to play, either as a setter (the position she’s now playing) or middle hitter, she does so without complaint.
“What makes her the MVP of our team and the MVP of our league is that she is the most phenomenal leader,” Otton said. “She is selfless and she’s a hard worker. Her stats might not show that she’s an MVP, but you just watch her and you know.”
No matter if Bowen is on or off her game, she never loses sight of her leadership role.
“She always treats her team so positive and she’s always encouraging,” Otton said. “She never gets down on teammates. Sometimes it’s not physically that we’re leaning on her, but we’re definitely leaning on her as a leader.”
Bowen, unlike her coach, came into the season cautiously optimistic, hoping for the best. As a third-year starter, she knows what it takes to win. As a sophomore, Bowen played on a Tumwater team that placed second in state and last year that finished sixth.
“I came in hoping for a good season, but it turned out better than I could have ever thought,” Bowen said.
Bowen switched to setter this season and has adjusted to the new position. But, she had a head start on the change.
“It’s not the hardest thing since I’ve been doing it for club,” Bowen said about the change in her position. “It gets me excited when I give them a good set to put away. I always feel I can get better. You’re never going to be perfect.”
In addition to Bowen, Tumwater’s Sarah Warner was first-team all-league. Madisen Bourgois and Anela Carins made second-team all-league. Bourgois and Carins have been the Thunderbird’s big hitters at middle blocker.
“They’ve been really steady all season,” Otton said. “I’m expecting some big things from them this tournament.”
Tumwater’s fab frosh is Kennedy Croft, Otton’s daughter, who was also first-team all-league. Wearing two hats – being mom and coach – hasn’t been easy for Otton. Not at first.
“We battled early,” Otton said. “It was a real adjustment and about mid-season we figured it out. She has grown up and matured more than I ever expected.”
Statistically, Croft, despite being only a freshman, leads Tumwater in nearly every category. She’s the team’s go-to-player when they need a rally-ending spike or a rally-saving lob.
“We do have our battles, but I’m super proud of and how she’s handled things,” Otton said. “There are times were we lean on her as a freshman, which is kind of unique.”
Otton’s father, Sid Otton, Tumwater’s football coach since 1974, had to face the same challenges when he coached his two sons, Tim and Brad, in football.
“He did face the same thing,” Otton said, then adding with a chuckle, “But this teenage girl thing – I don’t know if he had to deal with that.”
Tumwater, which opens the state tournament against Steilacoom at 11:45 a.m. Friday at Pierce College, has won with a near perfect serve and volley attack. In a four-game win against Richfield at district, Tumwater served at 97 percent with 17 aces and just two service errors.
“I’ve never seen us so dialed in on serve and serve receive like I did this weekend,” Otton said. “Our hitting percentage wasn’t that great. But we were on with serving and serve receive. When you do that, you’re going to be on your game.”
The strength to Tumwater’s run to the state tournament has been unity.
“I’d say our strength is how close we are,” said Warner, an outside hitter. “There’s been no drama on our team, which can really affect how we play on the court. We’re really supportive of each other. That’s helped a lot.”
Tumwater’s closeness got tested at the district tournament. Just before the tournament started, two players were suspended from the team for breaking team codes. That meant a last-minute lineup adjustment, with players having to take on new roles. And Tumwater pulled together and pulled through.
“One of the strengths that I’m finding in the post season is the versatility of the players,” Otton said. “We have a lot of players that can do a lot of things and they’ve been able to be shifted around and try different positions.
Change is never easy.
“One of the things my girls are super proud of and I’m proud of is that they really came together as a team this weekend,” Otton said.
