ARLINGTON — Senior Ally Peterson is everything a setter should be.

She’s got great technique, ball placement and selflessness, but most importantly the smarts, which couldn’t be more important in volleyball, coach Whitney Williams said.

”Volleyball must be one of the most mentally challenging games,” Williams said. “You can’t just react, but anticipate.”

The setter and the other seniors have been playing varsity for Williams since the coach joined their sophomore years in 2014.

“Ever since that day, we have gotten better each game,” Peterson said.

In three seasons under Williams, Peterson got to be part of Arlington’s first district title victory in 20 years after they won the championship game against Squalicum Nov. 5.

“It was like a huge weight lifted off our shoulders,” Peterson said. “We wanted the fire to get to state.”

Williams set that vision since she joined. But the seniors and the rest of the team earned it, she said.

“They wanted it,” Williams said. “We had an expectation to be district champions.”

“We all knew it was going to be a great season,” Peterson said. “There was just something in the air.”

Senior hitters Jessica Baker and Morgan Van Laar led in kills in the district championship game and many others, but those spikes wouldn’t happen without Peterson.

Peterson’s role may be overshadowed by the offense but she plays an important part of placing the ball in the right spot for outside hitters. She is the “quarterback” of the team, Williams said.

“We emphasize location and tempo,” Williams said. She has to “put the ball in the right spot.”

Another attribute is her reception to feedback.

“I’ll make sure that’s what they [the hitters] needed,” she said. “Or if they want it more to the pin so they can hit it into a broader area.”

Spending a lot of time at the net, she also serves as a blocker on defense. It’s something she’s also been consistent in.

“She’s able to elevate, and she’s also good at reading the offense,” Williams said.

She improved her fundamentals to be the setter she is now. She was coached to break down her setting into simple movements to remain consistent, she said.

Peterson has played volleyball since the third grade and played select since the sixth grade. She enjoys the atmosphere as well as the level of aptitude required to play the game.

“I love how much of a mental sport it is, Peterson said. “We have become best friends off and on the court.”

Colleges haven’t been reaching out to her but it is something she wants to continue if possible, she said. Some local schools were watching at the district tournament, she said.

“I’m keeping my options open,” she said.

Arlington played its first state game against Bellevue Nov. 11. Peterson and her team have worked on staying focused prior to the state tournament.

“We’re really focused on our mental game — keeping it as familiar as possible, and doing things we can do to get back into the zone,” she said. “We’re all excited so it’s good energy.”