Emma Brewer, a 6-1 junior OH from Salem Academy, had the first kill of Saturday’s state championship match versus Crosshill Christian at the OSAA / OnPoint Community Credit Union Volleyball State Championships in Redmond.
The three-year standout and University of San Diego recruit also had the last kill.
And 25 more in between, as the Crusaders swept past Crosshill, 25-19, 25-17, 25-14, to capture their third 2A state title over the past four seasons.
“Emma innately has a spirit of wanting to win,” said Kara Copeland, Salem Academy’s first-year head coach. She hits the ball so hard! When she puts her game face on, she’s unstoppable.”
“She’s a phenomenal player; a skilled, talented hitter,” said Crosshill Christian head coach Julie Bennett. “We haven’t seen any hitter similar to her all season.”
Crosshill Christian (31-3) came into the championship match on a streak of having won 28 matches and 74 sets in a row, something no other Oregon team could match. That was good enough to earn the Eagles top billing in a stacked classification.
Salem Academy, however, was a confident team, in part because the Crusaders had placed first twice and second last year at state over the past three seasons; and also because, on Sept. 7., they’d swept Crosshill Christian, 25-19, 25-16, at the St. Paul Invitational in their only meeting this season.
Crosshill Christian introduced a double block for that first match against Salem Academy, in the hopes of slowing Brewer; and worked on it in the ensuing weeks in anticipation of a rematch.
Salem Academy had made adjustments, too. At mid-season, the Crusaders switched to a 6-2 offense, adding setting duties in three rotations for Jordyn Copeland, their fast, athletic freshman hitter. This helped speed up the offense and proved an impediment to tall teams, like Crosshill Christian, which has 6-4 and 6-1 middles; thinking they would have success setting up camp in front of Brewer.
The match started with the first of 10 Brewer kills in the set, but Crosshill soon took the lead, 4-2, courtesy of a Ryland Minnick kill and some hitting errors that Coach Copeland attributed to nerves. The Eagles grew their advantage to three at 11-8 on another Minnick kill and one from OH Sierra Poush.
That’s when Salem Academy sprang to life, with a 5-0 game-changing rally. It began with a kill from Copeland. Two Brewer kills ensued, followed by successive Copeland aces. Salem Academy would finish with a 15-1 advantage in ace serves, a key storyline in the match.
Minnick struck again to stop the rally, but Crosshill Christian would get no close than within one point the rest of the way. Graceyn Tucker served two straight points, including an ace; to increase Salem Academy’s lead to 17-13 and Copeland had several of her six kills in the closing stretch of the 25-19 win.
The second set played out similarly to the first, with Crosshill Christian matching Salem Academy point for point until 11-11, when Brewer’s kill ignited a 7-1 Crusader rally, which also featured three aces from Maya Satrum. Crosshill Christian could not get closer than four points the rest of the way. Brewer’s eighth kill of the set, off of a Copeland assist, put Salem Academy in command of the match, up two sets to none.
The third set turned on a 5-0 Salem Academy run midway through. Up to that point, neither team had been able to establish much rhythm, with errors accounting for most of the scoring, aside from three Minnick kills. With Salem Academy up just three at 14-11, however, Brewer was able to shake off the Crosshill Christian block for a kill. The Crusaders scored another point on a hitting error, which Copeland followed with three backbreaking aces in a row. Just like that the score was 19-11 Salem Academy. The countdown to the title had begun. Brewer finished with four kills in the end game, including the title clincher, which made the Crusaders champions of 2A for the third time in four years.
“Our victories over top ranked teams, Portland Christian [defeated in semifinals] and Crosshill Christian, are a true reflection of the hard work, dedication, and unity this team has demonstrated all season long,” Coach Copeland wrote in an email distributed to media. “Every player stepped up when it mattered most, and we executed our game plan under pressure. The energy from the team was incredible. Everyone stayed locked in and fully committed to securing the win.”
Brewer finished with 27 kills on 53 swings, with seven errors, to lead the victors.
“I was pleased that we took away her sharp angle attacks,” Bennett said. “We were also able to stop her with a couple of solid Ryland blocks. I thought my girls stepped up and got their hands on balls at the net and dug her several times. We slowed her down and made her have to work a little harder.”
Copeland added 12 kills, 20 assists and seven massive aces.
Salem Academy (25-3) had 40 total kills in the match, all but one from its dynamic duo. Setter Maya Cooke, who had eight assists, had the other kill. Brewer also finished with 10 digs, while Addison Symington and libero Perri Showalter teamed for 16 more.
“This year has been unforgettable,” Coach Copeland said. “Each match brought us closer together, and our growth as a team has been remarkable. Winning another title means so much! It’s a testament to the effort we’ve put in, the unity we share, and the unwavering support we’ve received from our coaches, families, and fans. We couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished.”
Crosshill Christian took a healthy approach to finishing in second place. The Eagles won second place; they didn’t lose first place. That’s a great message for a junior-dominated team that had never before this year been to a state final in program history.
The Eagles were done in by detrimental runs in each set, which effectively blunted any momentum they were building.
“They won a lot of 50-50 balls,” Bennett explained. “We typically win those scrambles but they weren’t coming our way. It began to wear away on us every set.”
Minnick finished with eight kills, nine digs and three stuff blocks to lead Crosshill Christian. Ellie Bartel and Zoey Baker had six kills apiece. Poush had five kills and nine digs. Hannah Dripps contributed 19 assists.
All are juniors.
“This was the beginning of where we wanted to continue to go,” Bennett said. “The girls started this year hoping to take home some hardware. Early on in the season they began to realize the potential to go much, much further. Girls are committed to and confident in the idea that we can in this place again next year.”
Might a 2025 rematch be in the offing? Like Crosshill Christian, Salem Academy is underclass heavy, with its libero, setters and big boppers all back.
“The expectation is to be in the final next year,” Coach Copeland said. “That is the goal.”
In the 3rd/5th match:
Portland Christian d. Stanfield. 25-12, 25-10, 25-23
Portland Christian, last year’s state champion, had its way with Stanfield over the first two sets, much like the regular-season effort. But Stanfield, which won a quarterfinal thriller, came to life in the third and raced to a 9-1 lead. The Tigers extended their lead to 20-8, which prompted Portland Christian to switch to a 6-2 offense, with Payton Becker setting and hitting. That paid off as Portland Christian rallied to sweep with the 25-23 win.
Key serving from Olive Clapp and Alyssa Baird, a key block from Addison Johanson and timely swings from Finley Marine fueled the comeback.
In the 4th/6th match:
Western Christian d. Clatskanie, 28-26, 25-22, 25-18
Clatskanie had its best finish in more than 20 years, but could not get past Western for the fourth-place trophy. The match was back-and-forth each set. Western Christian’s big guns, Addison and Avery Herber, never really got going, but the Pioneers were rescued by strong passing in serve-receive.
“Offensively, we did just enough to pull out each set, including the 28-26 first set that gave our girls the confidence they needed to pull the match out,” said second-year coach Sydney Fahndrich.
Addison Herber finished with 11 kills, eight digs and two blocks in the win. Avery Herber finished had 14 kills, 10 digs and two blocks, Lexi Herber put up 23 assists with two blocks and Gabby Straton finished with nine digs, defensively.
