The North Thurston volleyball team is no longer unbeaten, as Central Kitsap knocked off the reigning 3A state champion in four sets Tuesday, Sept. 29.
It’s the first loss at home for the Rams since Sept. 9, 2024, snapping a 20-game win streak. Central Kitsap’s win also breaks North Thurston’s 15-game winning streak overall dating back to Oct. 29, 2025, when the Rams lost to Lakes in four sets.
Central Kitsap forced an early timeout by North Thurston with a 14-10 lead in the first set, as the Rams struggled in serve receive. The Cougars led 24-14 before the Rams rolled off five straight, but Central Kitsap finished them off with a 25-19 set one victory.
Manaia Pasi and Sydney Lingenbrink were powerful as pin hitters for the Cougars, and the unflappable back row of CK stopped a multitude of attacks by Abby Losey and Kaelani Adams to start the second set. Some impressive defense from Losey in the back row helped North Thurston set up its own powerful offense as the Rams crawled back to take their first lead at 10-9 in the second set.
Ava Almonte had a pair of powerful blocks to help North Thurston extend its lead to 15-11, forcing a CK timeout. The Rams continued their strong defense throughout the set to bounce back and win 25-18.
North Thurston’s struggles with serve receive returned early in set three as the Cougars built a 9-4 lead. Lingenbrink took over in the third set, and Central Kitsap took command with a 25-17 set-three win.
North Thurston led briefly 9-7 early in the fourth set, and a 8-2 run by the Cougars put CK ahead 15-11, and back-to-back aces by Ellie Smith made it 18-12. The Cougars finished on a 6-1 spurt to win the match and exact revenge on the team that beat them in the state quarterfinals last season.
Losey excelled on both ends with 10 kills, 22 digs, one ace, one assist and one block. Kaelani Adams tallied 13 kills and seven digs, and Madison Abrahamson posted 13 assists and eight digs. Ava Almonte was a force in the front row with five blocks and three kills.
North Thurston (6-1, 5-1 Puget Sound League) will look to bounce back at Peninsula (3-3, 3-3 Puget Sound League) Thursday, Oct. 1.
