LAKEWOOD — Senior setter and captain Erin White is the “floor general” of Lakewood’s offense.

“I believe she is the best setter out there in the 2A conference,” Lakewood coach Tasha Kryger said. “I put my trust into her.”

Setting up big offensive plays is what White has been doing for the Cougars to get a strong regular-season finish and a playoff run.

Lakewood will play Bellingham Saturday, Nov. 8 at Squalicum High School at noon. The winner will advance to the 3rd place match 30 minutes afterward.

“I think we are very comparable to Bellingham offensively and defensively,” Kryger said. “It should be a good match.”

“She works really hard and she makes the team better,” Kryger said. “She makes ordinary players look extraordinary.”

In Lakewood’s two playoff matches Nov. 5, White helped teammate senior outside hitter Kate Anderson get 15 kills against Anacortes and 16 kills against Sehome.

“We’ve been playing together for five years, and it helps that she’s 6-foot-2,” White said.

White led the Cougars with 25 digs in the game against Anacortes, and led with assists in both games, 25 and 18 respectvely.

Lakewood won its first match 3-1, but lost 3-0 against Sehome.

“I think we all had a really great mentality going in,” White said. “We played aggressively and let no balls hit the floor. We fight to win.”

Her leadership role as captain is just as important as her setting skills.

“I keep everyone on the same page, and if one player is down we pick ’em up,” White said.

White is uncertain where she will end up, but she wants to keep playing volleyball at a four-year university. She has considered schools like Whitman or Western Washington University.

“I’ve just been sending out emails for exposure,” White said.

Round 1

Lakewood: 25 26 25 25 — 3

Anacortes: 17 24 27 17 — 1

Round 2

Lakewood: 13 23 16 — 0

Anacortes: 25 25 25 — 3