Anyone hoping that heavily favored Jesuit will show complacency at the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A volleyball tournament Friday and Saturday is in for a disappointment.
The Crusaders don’t need to be reminded of the last two years, when they entered the tournament with high expectations and were bounced in the quarterfinals.
“The kids know that you have to show up to play every match,” said Jesuit coach Teresa Zimmerlee, whose top-seeded team meets No. 8 Sandy in a quarterfinal Friday afternoon at Liberty High School. “There are some teams that are pretty good out there. We don’t take any of them for granted.”
Much like its unbeaten 2015 title team, Jesuit (26-4) has steamrolled the state this season, dropping only one set in winning all 23 of its matches against Oregon teams. That set came against No. 3 Central Catholic all the way back on Sept. 8.
In two Metro League matches against No. 2 Sunset, the Crusaders blistered to 3-0 victories.
“I think we’re right on target,” Zimmerlee said. “I feel like we’re peaking at the right time. We’re just going to play as hard as we can and see how it goes.”
If anyone can throw a scare at the Crusaders, perhaps it is Central Catholic, which lost to them 25-21, 24-26, 15-13. In a rematch a month later, Jesuit won 25-16, 25-23.
“You will have to serve tough and take them out of their offense,” Central Catholic coach Rick Lorenz said. “They are a good passing team, so that’s not an easy thing to accomplish.
“Any No. 1 team is vulnerable because the pressure to perform is there. … Everyone will be watching them to see how they do.”
Seniors Rose Booth (356 kills, .374 hitting percentage) and Alyssa Hughes (200 kills, .484 hitting percentage) lead Jesuit’s attack. Sophomore setter Alison Buchholz is averaging 9.1 assists per set.
The Crusaders have talent and experience. The roster has six seniors.
“They’re all good leaders when they need to be,” Zimmerlee said.
Central Catholic, which meets No. 6 Sprague in the quarterfinals, is 0-2 against Jesuit and 1-1 against Sunset. The Rams are getting big seasons from junior Mia Jordan (283 kills, .363 hitting percentage) and senior Isabella Scarlett (278 kills, .371 hitting percentage).
“We’re a little banged up physically right now, but with our depth should compete well,” Lorenz said. “Sprague will be a tough challenge for us. We’re as ready as we can be.”
In the other quarterfinals, No. 4 West Linn meets No. 12 Sheldon and Sunset takes on No. 7 Summit.
A look at the other tournaments, also Friday and Saturday:
5A, at Liberty High School
Bend and Summit, who combined to win the last three titles, have moved on to 6A, so the tournament is more wide-open than ever. Top-seeded Corvallis, led by University of Portland-bound hitter Ryann Gregg, is unbeaten in 5A and hungry after losing in the semifinals the last two years. West Albany, which dropped both Mid-Willamette Conference matches to Corvallis, is the No. 2 seed. No. 4 Wilsonville, which has not lost in 5A, is led in kills by a freshman, Ashli Edmiston. No. 3 Crater, which improved from 9-9 last year to 20-2 this season, has libero Aubrey Klevit, a key player for Cascade Christian’s 3A title team last season.
4A, at Forest Grove High School
Valley Catholic -- runner-up three times in the last 10 seasons, including last year -- has the No. 1 seed. The Valiants, whose only 4A loss came against No. 6 Tillamook, are led by senior outside hitter Kayla Robbins. Fifth-seeded Sisters, winner of three of the last four titles (2014, 2016, 2017), will appear in its 12th consecutive tournament. Tillamook and No. 4 Hidden Valley are back after reaching the semifinals last year. No. 2 Sweet Home ended Sisters’ 76-game league winning streak.
3A, at Forest Grove High School
Two-time reigning champion Cascade Christian has grabbed the top seed, propelled by senior Caroline McMahon (414 kills, .343 hitting percentage), who in last year’s final had a state-record 42 kills in a five-set win over Santiam Christian. Second-seeded Santiam Christian, which does not have a senior on its roster, is back and bidding for its first title since a three-peat from 2012 to 2014. Sophomore Emily Bourne leads the team in kills. Santiam Christian faces league rival and 10th-seeded Creswell, runner-up from 2014 to 2016, in the quarterfinals.
2A, at Ridgeview High School
Top-seeded Kennedy carries a 27-1 record into the tournament, losing only to King’s Way (Wash.). The Trojans, semifinalists last year, are led by junior middle blocker Sophia Carley and senior outside hitter Hallie Sprauer, who both made first-team all-tournament a year ago. No. 2 Grant Union, the reigning champion and with nine seniors, has returned, along with No. 3 Central Linn, a semifinalist last year. No. 7 Coquille and No. 8 Glide made the tournament after moving down from 3A.
1A, at Ridgeview High School
A new champion will be crowned after Country Christian’s four-year title run ended with a five-set loss to No. 10 Joseph in the second round. Top-seeded St. Paul (27-0), which moved down from 2A, has won 74 of 77 sets, dropping two sets to 2A Central Linn and one to King’s Way (Wash.). No. 2 Powder Valley (31-0) and No. 3 Hosanna Christian (28-1) also have impressive records, winning all but nine and eight sets, respectively. The only blemish for Hosanna Christian (runner-up in 2015 and 2017) was a 2-1 loss to No. 9 Perrydale.
