Midway through the 2024 season, the Lynnwood Royals were 4-4 and tweaking their lineup hoping to find the magic combination that could reignite a team that finished third in state last year. 

Now in the postseason, the shuffling of players to different positions has paid off as the Royals have punched their ticket to return to the state tournament this year and will play for a district championship Saturday.

Playing at their highest level so far this season, Lynnwood upset the Stanwood Spartans in straight sets 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) in a District 1 3A volleyball tournament semifinal game played Thursday at Stanwood High School.

The Royals, the no.4-seeded team in the district tournament, surprised the no.1-seeded Spartans and their loud home-court crowd.

Lynnwood senior Evangeline Sum liked how her team came together for the critical tourney semifinal in a hostile environment. “This whole season has been rough and up-and-down but we actually connected in this game,” she said. “I think it was our best game yet.”

Lynnwood (2-0 in district play, 13-6 overall) came out of the gate fast and never trailed in the first set, then used an 11-3 run late in the back-and-forth second set to win it. The Royals ended the match with a 12-2 advantage to take the third set and secure the sweep.

Thursday’s victory ensures that this year’s Lynnwood squad will be going back to the 3A state tournament at the Yakima Dome to end this season, just as last year’s team did. But Sum stressed that the 2024 Royals aren’t thinking about last year’s memorable squad (District 1 champions, third-place finisher at state) and instead want to make a name for themselves.

“I think a constant reminder for this team is we’re not the same as last year,” Sum said. “(We wanted to) create our own moment with a sweep.”

Stanwood had entered Thursday’s district match against the upset-minded Royals with a 13-3 overall record and a no. 9 ranking in the WIAA 3A state RPI.

The Royals have now won six in a row and seven out of their past eight matches, all with a few players in positions different from where they had been at the beginning of the season. “We really got creative (with the lineup) this year,” Sum said.

After knocking off the tourney’s no.1 seed, Lynnwood will face the no.2-seeded Snohomish Panthers for the district title at 2 p.m. Saturday at Stanwood High School. Sum believes her Royals’ teammates can find success on Saturday and the following weekend in Yakima if they continue to perform as they have during the 2024 stretch run.

“I am hoping we can just be ourselves, play like we played today – I think that’s all we can really do,” Sum concluded. “And if play like we did today, the wins will come.”

You can view the entire District 1 3A Volleyball Tournament brackets here. 

Prep Volleyball: Lynnwood vs. Stanwood, Nov. 14 (District 1 3A Volleyball Tournament semifinal match)

Lynnwood 3 – Stanwood 0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15)

Lynnwood top performers:

–Sammy Holmer, 15 digs, 13 kills

– Ady Morgan, 22 assists

– Evangeline Sum, 33 digs

Records: Lynnwood 2-0 in District 1 3A Volleyball Tournament play, 13-6 overall; Stanwood 1-1 in District 1 3A Volleyball Tournament play, 13-4 overall

Lynnwood next match: versus Snohomish; Saturday, Nov. 16; 2:00 p.m. at Stanwood High School (District 1 3A Volleyball Tournament championship match)

Stanwood next match: versus Everett; Saturday, Nov. 16; 11 a.m. at Stanwood High School (District 1 3A Volleyball Tournament winner-to-state, loser-out match)

— Story and photos by Doug Petrowski