Two Garfield Volleydog seniors, Chelle Ticeson and Molly Swenson, have been named 2005 All-Stars by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The P-I selects its all-stars from among 87 high schools in its coverage area, encompassing more than one thousand varsity volleyball players in the region.

Middle blocker Chelle Ticeson is designated as one of nine players on the newspaper’s First Team. In profiling Chelle, reporter Casey McNerthney writes:

• WHAT SHE DID: The first-team all-KingCo 4A selection helped the Bulldogs earn their best finish in school history (ninth in state). Ticeson had 103 blocks (twice as many as the rest of the team combined), 272 kills, 43 service aces and 284 digs.
• HOW SHE DID IT: "She sees the other side of the court very well and she gets herself in a position to play the ball," said coach Leslie Hamann, who says Ticeson has a joy for the game. "She plays for the team, she plays for the sport; she doesn't play for the stats," Hamann said. Ticeson said she gained confidence with a swing block technique she learned at the UW volleyball camp. "Towards the end of the season, she was doing everything right," Hamann said.
• WHAT SHE'LL DO NEXT: "She can hit, she can pass, she can block, she can serve, she's the whole package in terms of what colleges would be looking at," Hamann said. Ticeson hasn't picked a school, but is interested in Western Washington University.

Last month, Chelle was also named a First Team All-Star by the Seattle Times. Chelle is one of only four volleyball players named first team all-stars by both newspapers.

Outside hitter Molly Swenson is one of eight players selected Honorable Mention by the P-I. Like Chelle, Molly is also a first-team all-KingCo 4A selection. For the season, Molly had 298 kills, 40 service aces and 304 digs.

Chelle is the third Volleydog to be named to the Post-Intelligencer’s All-Star First Team. Lillie Cohn was honored in 2004, and Laura Washington in 2002. Molly is the third Garfield volleyball player to be named Honorable Mention by the P-I, following Chelle Ticeson in 2004 and Lillie Cohn in 2003. Garfield coach Leslie Hamann was the P-I Coach of the Year in 2002.

Garfield’s Chelle Ticeson was named the top middle blocker in the Seattle Times’ readership area, and one of the best seven players overall in the 2005 “Star Times” All-Area volleyball team.

In selecting the Volleydogs’ co-captain, the Times reported that “Ticeson was a first-team All-KingCo 4A middle blocker who led the Bulldogs from Seattle to a 24-14 record. Her coaches praised her versatility and leadership in guiding Garfield through three consecutive loser-out games in the Sea-King District playoffs to reach state, where it finished ninth, best in school history. Ticeson was one of KingCo 4A's all-around statistical leaders, finishing with 276 kills, 114 blocks, 43 aces and 290 digs. Ticeson wants to attend Western Washington University and possibly become a special-education teacher.”

The Everett arena was chilly—and nearly empty—when the first few chords stumbled from a portable amplifier attached to an electric guitar. The bluesman, eyes closed, began preaching a song of loss and lament, picking to the rhythm of leather volleyballs slapping plastic tiles. Not your typical warmup for a high school state volleyball tournament. But then, the Volleydogs and their fans are not your typical high school team.

In nearly thirty years of competition, no Garfield volleyball squad had ever survived the long climb to the sport’s ultimate event: the final Saturday of the season. After weeks of win-or-go-home competition, just twelve teams remained standing, each staking a claim for top honors in the state. On this Saturday morning, barely a dozen hours after defeating Puyallup, the Volleydogs entered uncharted territory.

Their opponent was Lewis & Clark of Spokane, the sixth-ranked team in the state. The winner would be guaranteed one of the eight trophies to be awarded at the tournament. After four games, the score was tied: two wins for Garfield, two for the Tigers. Game five went to Lewis & Clark, and the Volleydogs’ long, wonderful season came to an end. For the first time ever, though, Garfield had finished in the statewide top ten (tied for ninth.)

In three matches over two days—a loss to Kentwood, a victory against Puyallup, and the loss to Lewis & Clark—the Volleydogs won six games and lost seven, an eye-opening improvement over their first trip to the 4A championships in 2003 when they went 0-6 in just two matches. This year, senior Chelle Ticeson led the way, playing nearly every minute of all 13 games, recording a combined total of 35 kills, 21 blocks, 51 digs and 3 aces. Senior Molly Swenson had 26 kills, 41 digs and 3 blocks; senior Jamie Nikami dished out 87 assists to go with 31 digs and 4 aces; senior Berit Erickson totaled 15 kills, 17 digs and 4 aces. Junior Britt Thorson had 17 kills, 11 digs and 2 blocks; juniors Tessa Koutsky and Andrea Arkans added 41 digs and 28 digs, respectively. Senior Tatiana Gellein had 2 blocks; junior Lizbeth Arias tallied 6 blocks and 3 kills; sophomore Lauren Kaczmarek had 2 kills and 1 ace; sophomore Alex Ndegwa added 12 digs; and sophomore Carly Tsutakawa recorded 6 assists.

Throughout the two-day affair, Garfield’s fans were consistently among the largest and loudest factions in the Everett Events Center. Praise for Garfield’s supporters poured in—praise for their knowledge of the sport, their fairness to opponents and to their incomparably talented pep band, (whom the Everett Herald newspaper singled out for “pumping up” the entire arena.) In a particularly touching (and classy) moment, the entire Inglemoor High School volleyball team—a KingCo 4A rival—stood on the court after the Lewis & Clark match to applaud the Volleydogs’ effort.

At the end of each match in the State Tournament, match officials confer before awarding a medallion to one member of each school. The medal honors someone who has displayed exceptional sportsmanship, regardless of the contest’s outcome. Back in 2003, medals were earned by Volleydogs Lillie Cohn and Laura Shaw. After this year’s Kentwood match, the sportsmanship medallion was presented to Volleydog Tessa Koutsky. For the Puyallup match, it was Volleydog Chelle Ticeson.

On Saturday, Laura Shaw’s younger brother, Joey—among the ‘Dogs’ most loyal fans all season—was in the stands as usual. At the end of the Lewis & Clark match, the officials picked up the sportsmanship medallion … and handed it to Joey Shaw. Joey, you see, was the bluesman, the fan with the electric guitar who had electrified players, parents and officials before the match. Not your typical award, but as you already know, the Volleydogs are not your typical team.

Facing possible elimination at every turn, Garfield’s incredible Volleydogs ran the table Saturday to capture a spot in the 2005 WIAA 4A Volleyball Tournament.

Saturday’s action began at noon, when the Volleydogs (13-6) swept KingCo 4A powerhouse Skyline, three games to none, ending the Spartans’ season at 11-5. The second match got underway at 3:30pm, and ended when Garfield powered past Bothell, three games to one. Bothell has the best record (95-12) in the nine-year history of the conference, but was sent packing with the loss. The final match did not end until almost 10:00pm, a heart-stopping three games to one victory over Redmond, the team that had won the district title and advanced to state the past two seasons. Redmond also went home for the year.

Garfield seniors Chelle Ticeson (62 kills, 26 blocks, 86 digs in five district matches) and Molly Swenson (50 kills, 78 digs) were both named to the All-District first team. For the tournament, senior Jamie Nikami (139 assists, 66 digs), senior Berit Erickson (30 kills, 14 aces), junior Andrea Arkans (63 digs, 9 aces), and junior Tessa Koutsky (79 digs) also had outstanding tournaments.

Three wins, no losses over ten hours, and the Volleydogs head to State.

For the fourth year in a row, the members of the Garfield varsity volleyball team had one of the five highest grade point averages of the more than ninety 4A (largest school) volleyball teams in Washington state. The 2005 team earned the second highest GPA, trailing Marysville-Pilchuck HS by mere hundreths of a point. The 2004 and 2002 teams also posted the second highest grades in the state, and the 2003 team finished fifth in the state. During the previous four seasons, no other 4A team has had a higher overall GPA than Garfield.

The stakes were high and the intensity higher as city rivals Garfield and Ballard squared off in the first round of the 2005 KingCo 4A volleyball district tournament. The Volleydogs prevailed three games to one, in a match that was closer than the score indicated (25-22, 24-26, 25-15, 25-19.) [see story in Seattle P-I]

Two Garfield seniors—both of them first-team all-conference players—led the way as both Chelle Ticeson and Molly Swenson had 13 kills apiece. Two other senior all-conference players had a great match, Jamie Nikami recorded 29 assists and Berit Erickson added 5 kills. Junior Tessa Koutsky scrambled for 24 digs, while junior Andrea Arkans added 12 digs and had a brilliant night at the service line, including 3 aces.

Four Garfield seniors--Chelle Ticeson, Molly Swenson, Jamie Nikami and Berit Erickson--have been selected to the 2005 KingCo 4A All-Conference team.

Middle Blocker Chelle Ticeson and Outside Hitter Molly Swenson were both selected to the seven-member First Team. This was the second season in a row that Chelle has earned a First Team honor, and the third season in a row that Garfield has placed two athletes in that elite group. Over the past four seasons, seven Volleydogs have been First Team selections, more than any other school in the conference during that period.

Setter Jamie Nikami and Outside Hitter Berit Erickson were both named Honorable Mention. A grand total 29 Volleydogs have been chosen to the conference all-star team (first, second and honorable mention) since the creation of KingCo 4A in 1997.)

For the third season in a row, the Volleydogs are the unofficial city school 4A champion after their 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-9) victory over Franklin. Following victories over Ballard and Roosevelt, Garfield is 9-0 against their city big-school rivals the past three seasons. Chelle Ticeson had another big night: 6 kills, 4 blocks, 4 aces and 19 digs. Molly Swenson powered 13 kills and 10 digs; Jamie Nikami added 17 aces and Tatiana Gellein had 3 blocks, 2 kills and 2 aces.

The Volleydogs have earned their place among the conference elite: They have the most wins (26) of any conference team over the past three seasons (Redmond and Woodinville each have 23), and are tied with Bothell for the most wins (32) over the past four seasons.

The Volleydogs have qualified for the district tournament playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Seeded third in the eight-team double-elimination tournament, they face sixth-seeded Ballard at 5:30pm on November 1 at the Woodinville High School gym. Admission is $6; $4 with an ASB card. Over 64 and under 7 are free.

Playing before the largest crowd of the season in Ballard's packed gymnasium, the Volleydogs earned a convincing win over friendly rival Ballard, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-18). With both teams seeking to improve their seeding in the upcoming district tournament, Garfield came from behind in all three games to secure the sweep. Molly Swenson led the 'Dogs with 12 kills and 15 digs; Jamie Nikami had 26 assists and 10 digs; Chelle Ticeson dominated the net with 11 kills and 4 blocks; Berit Erickson added 4 kills and served tough throughout the match, earning 4 aces. If the Volleydogs can get past Franklin on October 25, they will get the third seed in the district playoffs, and likely face Ballard once again in the first round. Official pairings will be announced October 26.

The Garfield Volleydogs won their fifteenth home conference match against just one loss as they played the final match ever at historic Garfield gymnasium. The 3-0 victory against Roosevelt (25-13, 25-10, 25-20) was the last volleyball contest at the storied gym, scheduled for demolition at the end of the school year. On a night when the Volleydogs honored their graduating seniors, all five members of the class of 2006 had stellar performances: Chelle Ticeson (14 kills, 6 blocks), Molly Swenson (9 kills, 19 digs), Jamie Nikami (18 assists), Berit Erickson (4 kills, 4 aces) and Tatiana Gellein (3 kills). Garfield has qualified for the playoffs for the fourth season in a row, and now has the most conference wins (24) of any team in KingCo 4A since the beginning of 2003 (Redmond, Bothell and Woodinville are all tied for second with 22 each).

The Volleydogs stood toe-to-toe against tough competition, winning four of six matches to capture fifth place at the sixteen-team 2005 Capital Cities Classic in Olympia. Facing opponents who came into the tournament with a combined record of 49-18, Garfield defeated Capital, Gig Harbor, Puyallup and Rogers, while losing only to Central Kitsap and undefeated Selah. Chelle Ticeson recorded 39 kills and 12 blocks and was named to the All-Tournament team. Molly Swenson had 26 kills and 5 aces; Berit Ericson added 13 kills and 9 aces. [Setter Jamie Nikami had an outstanding day, but assist statistics were not formally recorded.]
Note: During the week, Molly Swenson was elected 2005 Homecoming Queen by the Garfield student body.

The Volleydogs extended their amazing home court run when they knocked off once-beaten Bothell 3 games to 1 (25-15, 25-23, 24-26, 25-17). The victory was the Dogs' fourteenth victory in their previous fifteen home conference matches. It also propelled the Volleydogs to their twenty-third conference victory over the past three seasons--the most wins of any team in KingCo 4A during that span. For the match, Chelle Ticeson had 13 kills, Jamie Nikami had 25 assists, Molly Swenson had 11 kills, Tessa Koutsky had 15 digs and Carly Tsutakawa recorded 4 aces.

Garfield continued its winning ways, defeating conference rival Lake Washington 3 games to 1 (24-26, 25-21, 25-22, 25-23) and sweeping Juanita, 3-0 (25-14, 26-16, 25-21.) Against Juanita, Volleydog senior middle blocker Chelle Ticeson had eight kills in twelve attempts, hitting 66% for the match. Against Lake Washington, senior outside hitter Molly Swenson continued her torrid pace with 16 kills; she has 85 kills in her past five matches.

NIKAMI NAMED STATEWIDE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
September 28, 2005

Garfield senior setter Jamie Nikami was named today as the statewide 4A girls’ Star of the Week by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).

This prestigious honor is given to one girl each week from among the state’s ninety largest high schools. During fall, the WIAA selects that single athlete from all girls playing volleyball, soccer, swimming and cross-country. [see story]

Two other Volleydogs have previously earned the WIAA’s statewide award. Senior Chelle Ticeson won the honor on September 29, 2004, and alumnus Lillie Cohn was feted on November 4, 2003.

Before another large and loud home crowd, the Volleydogs scored an upset victory over previously-undefeated Skyline, 25-17, 18-25, 25-15, 25-23. Before last night, Skyline had suffered just one conference loss in the past three seasons. [see story]

Senior setter Jamie Nikami led the way with 30 assists and 8 aces; senior outside hitter Molly Swenson had 13 kills and 18 digs; senior Chelle Ticeson added 6 kills and 5 blocks. Senior Berit Erickson came up big in the crucial fourth game. The Volleydogs trailed 12-4, but rallied to tie at 17-17, in large part thanks to Erickson's serving and hitting; she finished the match with 7 kills and 5 service aces.

With the victory, the Volleydogs have now defeated each of the other eleven members of the KingCo4A conference one or more times, a feat accomplished by only one other school in the league (Woodinville.)

Two Garfield Volleydogs—senior setter Jamie Nikami and senior outside hitter Molly Swenson—earned acclaim this week from the two largest newspapers in Washington State.

Jamie Nikami was selected Seattle Times’ “Star of the Week” for September 19-24. [see story] She was cited for setting a school record during last week’s victory against Redmond, dishing out 43 assists in the five-game cliff-hanger.

Molly Swenson was named the Seattle Post-Intelligencer “Star of the Week” for September 19-24. In the same match against Redmond, Molly set another school record, recording 25 kills, including six in the decisive fifth game.

Senior setter--and team captain--Jamie Nikami recorded 43 assists, and senior outside hitter Molly Swenson tallied 25 kills to each set new school records in a stirring 3-2 victory over Redmond. With Redmond serving for the match at 14-13 in the fifth game, Nikami and Swenson combined for three kills out of the final four points to power the Volleydogs to a 25-17, 25-13, 19-25, 22-25, 17-15 victory. Redmond is the two-time defending KingCo champion, and many of its players and coaches are good friends with members of the Garfield team and coaching staff. A large, loud home crowd in the Garfield gym also celebrated the Volleydogs' selection as one of the top academic teams in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association.

The Kentwood Conquerers, led by the inspired play of libero Anya Silva (27 digs), defeated the Volleydogs 25-15, 27-25, 25-15 in the Garfield gym. Playing in front of what the Seattle Times called "a vocal crowd and its bombastic band," [see story] Volleydogs' captain Jamie Nikami had 12 assists, Britt Thorson added 15 digs and Molly Swenson recorded three service aces.

VOLLEYDOGS EARN PRESEASON NOTICE
September 14, 2005

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer chose Volleydog senior Chelle Ticeson as the featured athlete for its annual preseason high school volleyball preview. [see story] Both Ticeson and fellow senior Molly Swenson were named to the newspaper's "Volleyball's Best" list of top volleyball players in the Puget Sound area.

In its annual preseason preview, the Seattle Times named Garfield as one of five 4A "top teams" in the Puget Sound region for 2005. Volleydog senior Chelle Ticeson was included in the newspaper's list of "top players" in the region.

BREMERTON CORNERS CLOSE CONTEST
September 12, 2005

The Volleydogs' first preseason road match was a four-game marathon, with Bremerton prevailing by a score of 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24. Senior Molly Swenson led Garfield with 13 kills, 7 aces and 9 digs. Senior Chelle Ticeson added 7 kills, 18 digs and 2 blocks. Senior Jamie Nikami added 21 assists.

VOLLEYDOGS OPEN SEASON WITH VICTORY OVER HOLY NAMES
September 8 2005

For the first time in school history, Garfield defeated Holy Names Academy in a volleyball match. Before a packed Garfield gym on September 8, the Volleydogs prevailed 3 games to 1. Along the way, the Dogs set a school record with 28 service aces.

Eight letter winners who played all or part of their high school career with the Volleydogs will start college this fall. Four-year varsity letterman Lillie Cohn will attend Brown, where she will play Ivy League volleyball for the Bears. Three-year lettermen Amanda Jamieson and Maddy Shaw are attending Willamette University and the University of Washington, respectively. Two-year lettermen Hannah Weisman and Tara Kase are attending PItzer College and the University of Washington, respectively. Senior letterman Raeya Tsutakawa will attend flight school while taking classes at the University of Washington. 2003 letterman Burley Dluhosh is headed to Western Washington University. 2002-03 letterman Cat Juson earned a volleyball scholarship to Virginia Commonwealth University. Best wishes to all our alumni!

2005 VOLLEYDOG TEAMS SELECTED
August 26, 2005

(SEATTLE, August 26, 2005)--After five spirited days of tryouts, the Garfield coaching staff today announced the names of the players selected to the 2005 varsity and JV Volleydog squads.

Thirty-two Garfield students turned out for the 2005 volleyball season, and all contributed to one of the most competitive and successful tryout weeks in school history. Head coach Leslie Hamann and assistant coach Jack Hamann were impressed with the attitude, enthusiasm, and effort of those who spent long hours in the gym. Both coaches expressed their gratitude for all the hard work.

Preseason practice continues through September 6. The Volleydogs' first home match will be September 8, when they host Holy Names in the Garfield gym.

2005 GARFIELD VOLLEYDOGS

Lizbeth Arias (2007)
Andrea Arkans (2007)
Maddie Boardman (2008)
Shantea Cardenas (2009)
Samantha Chin (2008)
Kaylee Dye (2008)
Berit Erickson (2006)
Emily Fletcher (2009)
Tatiana Gellein (2006)
Kyra-lin Hom (2007)
Erica Jornlin (2008)
Noelle Jung (2008)
Lauren Kaczmarek (2008)
Tessa Koutsky (2007)
Eisha McKinney (2007)
Anna Miller (2009)
Alex Ndgewa (2008)
Jamie Nikami (2006)
Babette Papineau (2009)
Saghal Scego (2007)
Camille Schumann (2009)
Molly Swenson (2006)
Britt Thorson (2007)
Chelle Ticeson (2006)
Carly Tsutakawa (2008)