COOS BAY: The Valley Catholic “revenge tour” came to an end Saturday night at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay with the Valiants dominating in all phases to defeat Burns, 25-18, 25-14, 25-10, to win the 3A title for the second time since 2022 at the OSAA / OnPoint Community Credit Union Volleyball State Championships.
Last year, some unusual and devastating circumstances in a semifinal match versus eventual state champion Sisters prevented Valley Catholic from defending its 2022 state title.
“It was stuck in my mind for a solid three months but it fueled me to want to win and we did it,” said senior RS Addie Emerson, a four-year starter.
Valley Catholic head coach Becky Kemper thought going in that the semifinal match last night would be the most important of the tournament for her talented team.
“We needed to get over the hump last night to get us into the finals,” she explained. “Today they were relaxed. It felt good all day. When the girls got here, they were ready to go. They battled from Point 1.”
Burns was a familiar foe for the Valiants, who faced the Hilanders in the 2022 final and won convincingly in a quarterfinal tilt last season.
“They are always scrappy,” Kemper said. “They play with emotion like we do and they were fired up at the beginning.”
Burns came into the final on the heels of a five-set win yesterday evening over tournament favorite Pleasant Hill, a match that saw the Hilanders drop the first two sets before completing a miraculous rally.
Kemper knew from experience that Burns’ big win could be a benefit, but it also could be a curse.
“Two things can happen after a long, emotional five-set match,” she explained. “You can come back even more fired up or, if you’re tired, there could be a little bit of a letdown.”
Burns came out of the gates with fire. A great pass from libero Bailey Temple to Chloe Rothwell allowed the senior setter to dish quickly to MB Caitlyn Horrell for the decisive kill that made it 1-0 Hilanders. Temple’s nifty dig on the next point precipitated Rothwell’s assist to Akylah Kaino, who pounded the seam for 2-0. Another Temple dig. Another Rothwell assist and another Kaino kill had Valley Catholic quickly on its heels, down 3-0. Kaino, who had an Oregon-high 40 kills in the Pleasant Hill win, was showing no ill effects from her hard work the night before, which was an ominous sign for the Valiants.
Emerson admitted that the slow start was troubling for her and her teammates.
“We all came together and said, ‘This is it we want! Leave everything on the court and do everything we can to get this win.’”
Kemper wasn’t worried.
She knew something about her team that others did not; first, that Valley Catholic’s serve-receive, which was up and down all season, was the best it’s been at the state tournament; and second, that her team had the ability to overwhelm opponents on attack.
“One of the benefits of our team is we don’t have one good hitter,” Kemper explained. “We don’t have two. We have four or five. So it’s hard for a team to stack on us because we have guns at every spot. I’ve never had a team like that. Most teams don’t. It’s pretty rare. We were able to get the ball to all of our guns.”
Valley Catholic got on the scoreboard courtesy of a kill on the right side from junior pin Madison Sherby assisted by Jaya McGregor. The Valiants ended up countering Burns’ opening run with three points of its own, including a kill from Emerson.
Burns briefly went back in front twice, the last at 5-4 on a service error, before back-to-back kills from MB Maeve Albert gave Valley Catholic the lead for good. Sherby, who had only one kill in the quarterfinal win over Coquille, struck four more times for Valley Catholic as the Valiants methodically extended their lead.
Sherby said that starting quickly was very important to Valley Catholic’s plan of attack.
“We talked a lot about coming out strong,” she said. “We had a good game plan to go after the line because they keep it open. We wanted to attack the block and stay super aggressive. That’s what we did.”
By the time the opening salvo was complete, Valley Catholic was in front, 13-6.
Burns, which witnessed a similar onslaught last year when Valley Catholic prevailed in the quarterfinals, 25-6, 25-18, 25-14, showed some grit by scoring five in a row, including two kills and an ace from hard-nosed but diminutive OH Jocelyn Graham; to get within 13-11. But Valley Catholic remained composed and used two more Sherby kills – seven for the set – in a 7-1 run that put the game effectively out of reach with the Valiants ahead, 20-12.
Sherby’s strong start put a smile on Kemper’s face.
“She was sick on Friday morning,” the coach said. “She got a little bit better against Corbett in the semifinals. She woke up this morning and said she was ready, adding, ‘It’s going to be way better.’”
Kaino finished with six kills in the set, against just one error, but Burns had no consistent offense other than from her. That was enough only to get the Hilanders within five points, 22-17, in a set they would eventually lose by seven.
The second set yielded new life for Burns, which again scored the first three points to go in front. Senior middle Willa Kayfes’ first kill of the match got Valley Christian started. Once the Valiants get started, they just don’t stop.
That’s the thing about Valley Catholic. A team thinks it’s playing with the Valiants point-for-point and it looks up at the scoreboard and finds itself down three; then five; then seven and hopelessly out of the set. That must be how it felt for Burns, which couldn’t string runs of points together when it seemed that all Valley Catholic did was score in bunches.
“We knew they were hard hitters,” said Burns’ co-coach Courtney Toney. “We tried to adjust our block but it didn’t go according to plan. They had some hitters who really stepped up and put the ball away. It was really impressive how their offense and serve-receive tackled that game.”
Indeed, Valley Catholic was on point in virtually every phase of the game. Libero Hadley Entizne keyed the defense along with Peyton Rogers. Sherby and Emerson anchored serve-receive. McGregor was so smart in her distribution choices. And all five hitters -- Kayfes and Albert in the middle, Emerson, Sherby and Taina Pinheiro on the pins – put the ball away with authority when summoned. Indeed, big-blocking Burns had only one terminating stuff block the entire match!
“I told the team not to be afraid; to swing and challenge the block,” Kemper said. That’s what we did.”
Valley Catholic also won behind the service line. The Valiants did not have an ace in the first set, but they produced five in the second and two more in the third. Serving specialist Sami Shivakumar’s successive aces in the second set were the most important because they extended Valley Catholic’s Game 2 advantage to 19-12. A margin of seven at that stage of a set is nearly impossible to surmount, as it was in this case, when Sherby’s three closing kills put the finishing touches on a 25-14 win.
With Valley Catholic cruising up two sets to none, the elephant in the room made an appearance on both benches.
Toney reminded her charges of the Pleasant Hill comeback not 24 hours earlier.
“Yesterday we learned anything can happen at any moment,” she said. “You just have to stick with it and never give up.”
In the other huddle, Kemper was sending a message, too. Not only did Valley Catholic need to remember what Burns did in the semifinals; it also needed to remember how Sisters came back on it last year.
“I said, ‘We cannot let them get in this.’” Kemper said. “If they get a little bit of a fire, they can ride that. We never let them get that lit.”
Valley Catholic opened the third set by scoring the first seven points. Emerson had four kills and a block in the run. Any thoughts of another Burns rally were effectively quelched.
“I was hoping and knew we could put in the work to get there,” Kaino said. “It didn’t end up that way but very well could have.”
“We believed we could do it; it just didn’t quite work out,” Toney added.
The rest of the set was both a celebration and a coronation, as Valley Catholic cheered every good play and anticipated the glory that was soon to come its way. Kayfes had three late kills, McGregor served an ace and Entizne shined defensively as the Valiants’ lead grew to 24-10 before Emerson finished off her career and the championship with a deep shot to the corner, which put the final touches on Valley Catholic’s virtually flawless performance.
Kaino had 12 kills to lead Burns, which finished the season 29-5.
“We played hard,” she said. “They’re a good team. I have no shame losing to a good team as long as I played my hardest.”
Emerson had 12 kills for Valley Catholic, and was outstanding; but Sherby was its Player of the Game. She finished with 14 kills and was integral to every serve-receive pattern for the Valiants.
“My teammates and I left everything out there,” Sherby said. “It was such an amazing game.”
“We have been preparing for this moment really since last year when we didn’t finish where we wanted to finish,” said Kemper. “This year was a revenge tour in our own minds.”
“It feels so good,” said Emerson. “I’ve never been so proud of a group of girls. This team is so unique. We are stacked but we also are a family. That’s the most important thing. That’s what I’ll remember most.”
In the 3rd/5th match:
Pleasant Hill d. Corbett, 25-22, 25-12, 25-17
Pleasant Hill took out its shocking semifinal loss yesterday on Corbett, sweeping the Cardinals for the third-place trophy. It’s not the blue trophy the top-seeded squad expected coming into the weekend, but it marks the second successive top-three finish for the Billies after zero state tournament appearances over the previous 28 years.
Pleasant Hill (29-2) stormed to a 7-1 lead to start the match, with senior setter Claire Crawford shining with two beautiful dumps and a big block. But Corbett (24-5) would not go away and finally snagged the lead at 19-18 on a tool shot from Lilly Schimel. Coquille and Pleasant Hill traded points into the 20s, but the Billies asserted themselves late with four straight points to finish – including a kill and ace from Ruby Jackson – which erased a 22-21 deficit.
Game 2 was a tale of outside hitters for Pleasant Hill. Sophomore Anna Crawford was on her game early with several kills and a big block as the Billies built a comfortable lead. Cheyenne Green got her team to the finish line with a block and three late kills, including the game winner.
Credit Corbett’s players and coaching staff. The Cardinals fought hard to extend the match, with wonderful senior setter Greta Miller dishing to Schimel, Sammi Blume, Ursula Harrington and Taylor Young. But Pleasant Hill would not be denied. Jackson got the Billies started in Game 3 with a kill and ace and they never trailed. Green capped her illustrious career with back-to-back aces to end it.
In the 4th/6th match:
Westside Christian d. Santiam Christian, 25-20, 25-22, 30-28
Before 2024, Westside Christian had never medaled at the volleyball state tournament. Saturday’s morning’s sweep of Dayton guaranteed that the Eagles would make history by finishing no worse than sixth.
On Saturday afternoon, Westside Christian upgraded to fourth place overall by sweeping Santiam Christian in a match that was competitive from start to finish.
Game 1 of the fourth-place match illustrated just how special Westside setter Ella Perry is. The 5-4 junior spent the majority of the first game expertly setting up teammates Jojo Christiansen, Jeryn Hildebrand, Sydney Coleman and Kindley Deewall. But when Santiam Christian narrowed an 11-7 Westside lead to just 17-16, she took matters into her own hands, executing two nifty dumps that gave Westside the margin it needed to hang on for the win.
The second set could easily have gone either way. Westside Christian (24-5) built a small early lead but Santiam Christian (23-6) caught up at 14-14 thanks to rocket serves from libero Lucie Vigil and numerous Allison Curtis kills. Only one point separated the teams as the set neared its conclusion. Santiam Christian led 22-21 after a Westside hitting error, prompting coach Christina Thom to call time out. Out of the pause, Coleman found a way through the Santiam Christian block to even the books at 22-all. Kills from Christiansen and Hildebrand and tough serving from Perry completed the 4-0 closing run that put Westside Christian in command of the match up two sets to none.
The final set was a doozy and clinched the Westside sweep. Hildebrand was a beast early with her whippy left arm, as Westside used a 5-0 run to gain separation after the teams were deadlocked at 11-11. The lead was still five before Vigil scored out of system out of a time out, a rare libero kill. That unexpected point seemed to spark Santiam Christian, which rallied all the way back to tie things at 21-apiece.
Westside scored three of the next four points, and earned two opportunities to win after Christiansen took a teed-up Perry set and banged home a winner. Santiam Christian countered with three straight points, including two Curtis kills, the second of which gave Santiam Christian a set point. Christiansen wiped that out with a right side kill, then served an ace. Westside could not convert on that match point, nor the next, nor even the one that followed.
The sixth, however, proved to be the charm. After a Deewall kill made it 29-28 Westside Christian, Santiam Christian finally yielded, as a pass over the net went wide, completing the Westside sweep.
***
Before clashing for the fourth-place trophy, both Westside Christian and Santiam Christian, quarterfinal losers on Friday, needed to win morning matches to stay alive.
Christiansen had a terrific match as Westside Christian eliminated Dayton in three straight, 25-16, 25-19, 25-15.
The senior outside hitter closed a workmanlike first set with a kill, then served seven points in a row, including two aces; which turned around an early 3-0 Game 2 deficit. Christiansen closed that set with another kill, then gave way to OH Sam Shepard, who dominated the final set from the left side until match point, when, you guessed it, Christiansen closed out the sweep with yet another clinching kill.
Santiam Christian made the trophy match by turning back feisty Coquille in four sets, 24-26, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21.
The Red Devils scored the last four points to come from behind in Game 1 for a 26-24 win. Olivia Brophy, who had a big game scoring along with Holli Vigue, delivered the teardrop to knot things at 24-all. Libero Peyton Drake followed with back-to-back aces to complete the turnaround.
Santiam Christian returned the favor in Game 2, scoring seven straight to reverse a 19-17 deficit. Vigil served three aces during the run and Euhus had three kills. Euhus also had the clincher in the 25-22 win.
Santiam Christian took charge of Game 3 early and led 22-16 before a furious Coquille rally brought the Red Devils within 24-22. After a time out by Santiam Christian to settle nerves, Euhus delivered for the Eagles to end any Coquille comeback hopes.
Game 4 had a similar arc, with Euhus putting Santiam Christian on top 17-11 before Coquille rallied to within 21-19 on a Brophy kill. The Red Devils could get no closer than two, however, and Santiam Christian used one final Euhus kill to survive and advance.
*****
Sportsmanship Trophy: Valley Catholic
All-Tournament Second Team:
Valley Catholic – Sherby
Burns – Horrell
Westside Christian – Perry
Corbett – Harrington, Young, Greta Miller
All-Tournament First Team:
Valley Catholic – Emerson
Burns – Kaino (Unanimous choice)
Pleasant Hill – Claire Crawford, Green
Westside Christian – Christiansen
Santiam Christian – Euhus
*Before the championship match. Pleasant Hill’s 1974 AA championship volleyball team was honored. Fifty years ago, the Billies were one of three teams to win an initial OSAA state volleyball championship. Four members of that Pleasant Hill team were on hand to receive they recognition they reportedly were denied at their own school after capturing the title over Eagle Point.
johnt@osaa.org
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