Lakeside sisters Lexi, Olivia Mikkelsen take shot at another state volleyball title

Thirteen might be Kara Moffatt’s new lucky number.

The Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) volleyball coach’s squad of 13 Eagles has put together a 13-0 record in the Northeast 1A League this season, winning all 39 sets.

Moffatt only lost two players to graduation from last year’s team and has seven seniors on the current team, five of whom grew up playing together since the third grade. That dynamic has built a familial atmosphere on the court that Moffatt said is often difficult to replicate.

“They just love each other out on the floor. And we’re all so supportive of trying to make each and every one of us successful,” Moffatt said. “There’s just this really big influence about being a family.”

Some of her players take that literally. Two of Lakeside’s starters are sisters – senior hitter Lexi Mikkelsen and her younger sister Olivia, a junior setter.

The Mikkelsen sisters have played together on Lakeside’s varsity squad since Olivia joined the team her freshman year three years ago.

Since then, the duo created a special setter-hitter relationship that has brought a unique kind of strength to the Lakeside court.

“I feel bad for everyone who doesn’t get to play with their sisters because (it’s a) bond that nobody else can have,” Lexi said. “Playing with your sister is just a one-of-a-kind deal. We know that we can push each other more than anybody else on the team.”

The 6-foot-1 senior easily stepped in as Lakeside’s floor commander, leading her team to a State 1A championship last season when the Eagles edged Lynden Christian in four sets.

This season, Lexi was named one of the team’s three captains, a fitting role for last year’s state championship MVP. She balances her time between the volleyball and basketball courts and Lakeside’s student council, where she sits as the Associated Student Body president.

Olivia, along with senior Keeley Morrison, also stepped up as Lakeside’s co-captain this season.

The title of co-captains has certainly raised the bar of expectations, but Lexi and Olivia haven’t wavered in their leading roles, pushing each other to be better than the other for the sake of the team’s success.

The sisters are often harder on each other more so than any other teammate, Moffatt said. That’s especially true for Lexi, whom Moffatt said acts as a typical older sister and can be tougher on Olivia to make her one of the strongest on the floor.

“She knows how to (criticize) while making her sister better,” Moffatt said. “Lexi has high expectations, but Olivia is able to rise to those expectations.”

High expectations on the court seem to run in the family. Lexi and Olivia’s mother, Emily Hathaway, was a standout volleyball player at Shadle Park in the early 1990s under former coach and Washington State Hall of Famer Linda Sheridan, who died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in 2013.

Hathaway ended her senior year with a state championship in 1993, one of Sheridan’s five volleyball state championships at Shadle Park.

“Hearing her (Hathaway) talk about the connection she had with her team and how hard they worked to get where they were at, it was definitely inspiring for us,” Lexi said. “Winning a state championship last year, I think that was awesome for both of our parents … it’s definitely cool to have a mom who’s done that too.”

Lexi hasn’t decided if she will continue her mother’s legacy after high school. On Friday, she will decide whether or not to sign with Carroll College in Helena to play volleyball.

Lexi said after playing volleyball for almost 10 years, she needs to decide if she wants to focus on her studies when she heads to college next year.

“I’m just trying to figure out what’s best for me,” Lexi said. “If I decided not to play volleyball it would be very different, but (I can) also experience something knew and see what more there is besides volleyball.”

Lexi has put that thought on hold a day. On Thursday, her focus will be at the net, fighting for a chance to go to state for the last time with her sister. The Eagles will host Chewelah or Newport in a District 7 1A semifinal match on Thursday at 7 p.m., their first bite at postseason.

Lexi and Olivia said they’re looking for another long run in postseason this year.

“Because of what happened last year and only losing two seniors, it would be ridiculous for us to shoot for anything less than a championship,” Lexi said. “I think that this team is definitely capable of that.”