YELM — Six games into the 2026 season, Yelm first-year head volleyball coach Bailey Whalen knows her team is better than the standings show.
The completed schedule at the end of the season will only display final scores, but the set-by-set scores tell the real story of the Yelm Tornados.
Whalen’s team has rarely let set scores get lopsided. While their fight hasn’t translated to the win column yet, the Tornados have been far from a pushover.
Yelm proved that Wednesday night against Bethel, as the Tornados quickly wiped away a 25-15 first-set loss and challenged the Bison in the final two sets. But they couldn’t make clutch plays in the waning moments, losing both sets 26-24. The Tornados were tied with Bethel 24-24 in both frames, but the Bison secured the last two points both times.
“It was proven again that we can do it. We’re capable. We are a strong team,” Whalen said. “It just comes down to if we can perform to the level and standard that we hold ourselves to. I think that tonight we could have competed and held our own a little bit better, but I think we’re continuing to show people that we’re not easy about it.”
Yelm and Bethel went back and forth in the opening set, with the Tornados igniting their offense through pin hitters Lexi Stone and Anna Lee and setter Rylee Hominda. Midway through the first set, Bethel broke away from a snug 10-9 lead with a 10-2 run to force a Whalen timeout. The Bison finished off the Tornados for a 25-15 first-set victory.
From set one to set two, the energy on the Yelm side of the court dramatically changed. Coaches made a couple of adjustments, including moving Hayden Christensen from the outside to the middle, a position she tried out in summer league, and 5-foot-2 Kinley Corak brought energy as a defensive specialist.
Early in the second set, the Tornados looked as potent as they have all season. They built a 10-3 advantage behind strong defense, along with clean passing and serve receive.
“We made some lineup changes. We weren’t being so effective on the outside in the middle, so we had some switches that really helped,” Whalen said. “Having one more senior on the court really helped our communication and chemistry. Hayden sees the court really well, and putting her back in the middle and giving her an opportunity to be a defensive backer as a blocker made a huge difference for us.”
Slowly, however, that momentum in the second set began to shift in Bethel’s direction. A seven-point Yelm lead drifted away and transformed into a 14-13 Bethel lead as the Bison’s pin hitters routinely exposed holes in the middle of the Tornados defense.
The Tornados got back on their feet and weathered the storm, eventually retaking the lead at 21-20 off of several Bethel attack errors and a pair of Lee kills. Bethel jumped in front 23-21 before Yelm tied it at 24-24 on another Lee kill, but the Bison put the Tornados away 26-24.
After trailing 7-4 early in the third, Yelm ripped off an 8-0 run fueled by a trifecta of Stone aces, giving the Tornados a 12-8 lead. Miscommunication within Yelm’s defense cost Whalen’s team attack opportunities, but the Tornados steadily maintained their advantage through most of the third set.
Yelm was ahead 22-20, and once again, Bethel used a spurt of three unanswered points to steal the momentum back. The Tornados earned a chance for redemption in another 24-24 tie, but for the second set in a row, Bethel’s composure in clutch moments made the difference in a 26-24 win.
“When we get a little bit tight in our score, you can tell in our body language. Our shoulders get a little bit tense,” Whalen said. “Our communication, instead of going up in the chaos, gets a little short-lipped.”
Whalen trusts that her players will light the necessary fire within themselves and maintain their communication, not only when things are going swimmingly but also when their backs are against the wall. The Tornados have won just four sets so far this season, but out of the 18 they’ve lost, they’ve scored at least 19 points in 10 of those. One of those losses was a 16-14 fifth-set defeat to Shelton.
The lack of communication at times hasn’t resulted in a lack of effort or hustle, however.
“They never let up. We don’t ever show that we don’t want it. When our backs are up against the wall, we’re still taking swings,” Whalen said. “We’re still diving after balls, and we’re still cheering each other on no matter what.”
Yelm (0-6, 0-2 South Puget Sound League) will travel to Puyallup to face Rogers (2-4, 0-2 SPSL) Tuesday, Sept. 29.
