MOSES LAKE – When the Moses Lake School District 2024 educational programs and operations levy failed for the first time, coaches like Mavericks volleyball coach Krystal Trammell were unsure what would happen if it failed a second time. What they were certain about was their dedication to the kids at Moses Lake High School.

“I don't think there was one coach or one program that wasn't in to do it for the kids,” Trammell said. “We knew exactly what we needed to do. We just didn't know how to go about it, how the teams were going to look, our transportation equipment, etcetera. But relying on each other really helped things kind of materialize.”

After the levy failed a second time, Trammell knew it was real and had to figure out how the team was going to have a volleyball season. She said the hard work of the coaches at Moses Lake and the Community Athletics and Activities booster helped the season come to fruition.

Trammell said parents stepped up and helped organize transportation for the athletes to get to games and tournaments throughout the fall season. When they had to figure out how to have a season, it was clear that their culture was in jeopardy, according to Trammell. Over the years, she said they have worked hard to build a culture of students first, athletes second.

“When that opportunity could have been taken from us, we turned to each other, our parents, our coaching staff and our athletes, and came together as a group stronger than before. We were going to do everything in our power to make the program even better and get more hands involved. That's exactly what happened with our parents and athletes and coaches,” Trammell said.

The Mavericks volleyball team managed to put together one of their best seasons in a long time, according to Trammell. They finished the season with a 12-6 record and secured a highlight 3-1 win over West Valley, which Trammell said was their first in program history. Trammell could see something shifted in her players' last season that made a difference.

“Program-wide, the girls had something to prove. They were not going to let the levy failure and the fact that we almost didn't have a season ruin anything. I think they came out more on fire to show everyone ‘no, we're not going to stop, and this is what we're going to do,’” she said.

Trammell said her team excelled with court awareness, mental toughness and utilizing everything they have worked on over the last couple of years. She said she liked what she saw from her team last season, and it makes her excited for this upcoming season since they will have nine returning players. She said they will benefit from coming in with more knowledge and experience.

However, now that a new levy was passed this year, they will still have another season without a budget until January 2026. Though Trammell said it will be business as usual heading into the season. She said their experience last season will help them navigate this season more effectively as they learn more throughout the summer.

According to Trammell, she is confident they will have another season after seeing all of the support they got last year. She is confident in her community, she said, and believes in Mavericks athletics. In the meantime, Trammell plans to prepare for the fall season the same way she always does.

“We're just concentrating on the workouts and our summer league and preparing for the season, and we've been through it once, and so going through it again, it won't be as difficult this time,” she said. “It brought all the coaches together and I think sportsmanship is different. I just think everyone came together as a whole league instead of just one community, one town, one school.”