Success no quirk

When describing Mt. Spokane’s volleyball style and reason for its team success, coach John Reid throws out the term “quirkiness.”

Reid said he prefers having players who play more than one sport – hence, the Wildcats tend to be an eclectic mix.

“Five girls are (also) playing basketball, three are tennis players and three are softball players,” he said. “Some are in club volleyball, but not on elite traveling teams. Some haven’t played it. We have a mixture of it all.”

Yet the Wildcats, who last year came within a win of placing among the top eight in state, this year don’t seem to have missed a beat. With a new starting lineup and five sophomores on varsity, they are third in the Greater Spokane League heading into tonight’s pivotal 3A match against Shadle Park.

“I don’t know if anyone knew what (Reid) was thinking,” said Amie DeWolf, one of just four players back from last year’s state qualifier. “But it has worked out so well. Everybody on the team can get the job done.”

DeWolf typifies the diverse lineup that has enabled Mt. Spokane to win two-thirds of its Greater Spokane League matches in Reid’s eight years as coach.

“She is a free spirit,” Reid said. “She reminds me of a California beach girl, a retro hippie type. And that is said with a lot of love.”

She didn’t start last year, but the perpetual-motion machine with a unique swing has led the balanced Wildcats three times in kills this year.

One of the tennis players, Reid said DeWolf has a swing so quirky, that rather than fix it she uses it to her advantage.

“The ball goes where you don’t expect it,” he said. “And she’s crazy to throw her body around the way she does, but I appreciate her willingness to do that.”

DeWolf said she never thought about her swing “until people said how unorthodox or ridiculous I sometimes look. My dad has pictures of weird contortions, but it just happens. I don’t try to fight the feeling.”

The Mt. Spokane senior does come from the beach, where an older brother played recreational volleyball in California before the family moved here when she was in sixth grade.

She admits she has been called a hippie because of a wardrobe that includes corduroy pants and T-shirts that she’s worn since her freshman year.

“I wouldn’t say I’m too off-center,” she said.

Far from it, a conversation reveals. Thoughtful and articulate, DeWolf expresses a natural curiosity and a bent for the outdoors.

“I have an open mind about things, listen to what people say and take what I want and apply it to life,” she said.

She and an older brother in California have delved into film-making and editing. At Mt. Spokane she produced a video on the triumph and tragedy of the area’s homeless for a state History Day competition. She spent a week at the House of Charity and over the course of a month edited six hours of interviews into her 10-minute documentary.

“It was one of the most difficult things I’ve done, but it was one of the better experiences I’ve had within the Spokane community,” DeWolf said.

Besides volleyball and tennis, she also snowboards, has sailed, rock-climbed and loves the thrill of a roller-coaster ride. She credits her experiences in athletics with teaching her patience and giving her the ability to work with people.

“My whole family has always been in sports,” said DeWolf, the second youngest of six. “I have five brothers and have always been doing any type of sport following them around.”

DeWolf took up volleyball young and learned tennis at camps run by twin uncles who were nationally ranked. After moving here, she played for Reid on a 12U club team. Playing at state last year and last week’s victory over East Valley have been among her high school highlights.

“Even at age 12, she had a spirit about her,” Reid said. “She has an upbeat attitude, a great heart and is so coachable. She plays for the love of the game and that’s my main focus. I want them all to stay in love with the game.”

That strategy has helped keep Mt. Spokane among the most consistent volleyball programs in the GSL.