After a rough opening set against Cascade Christian, St. Mary’s head coach Katie Miller sent a very simple and concise message to the volleyball players looking to turn the tide on Tuesday.
“Our coach was like, ‘Hey, we’re here to have fun, so at the end of the day it’s just us and the team and we’re playing a normal game. Go out and do your best.’ What did we do,’ said Emma Johnston of St. Mary Jr.
Sure they did.
St. Mary’s not only won the next set against Cascade Christian, but were able to maintain their drive in a five-set Far West League thriller against crosstown rivals — 13-25, 25-20. , 20-25, 25-21, 15-9 — in the regular season finale for both schools.
“The first set was a little rough,” said St. Mary senior Kelsey Dunn. .
“Definitely the energy is the key. It was tough, but we played really well tonight.”
Both schools entered the FWL with the same 8-1 record, finishing second behind undefeated Coquille.
The Crusaders win puts St. Mary’s (16-5, 9-1 FWL) ahead of third-placed Cascade Christian (15-8, 8-2), ending a game that could be considered for a play-in match Did. against an opponent who will decide on Saturday.
The Class 3A state playoff bracket freezes later on Saturday.
“St. Marys came out strong as usual,” said Cascade Christian Jr. Madison Todd, who led the Challengers with 16 digs and added 15 kills. “We’re rivals and tough every set. They just got stronger tonight and hope to learn from this opportunity and prepare for the playoffs.”
The Crusaders won a decisive set thanks to a fierce comeback in the fourth set.
Trailing 15-8 after an ace from Cascade Christian’s Sidney Shipman, St. Mary’s tied senior libero Albie Borovanski for five straight points at the service line to bring them within one point at 15-14. .
Moments later, the Crusaders tied the game with a big solo block from Muddy Ward and two kills from Johnston and Ward to take a 19-16 lead.
Cascade’s Poppy Freeman tied for one of the team-leading 18 kills and 21, but the Crusaders rounded it out with kills from Dan and freshman Ada Bernard.
“At first we played a little bit individually, but then we got together and played as a team,” Dunne said of the change for the better for St. Mary’s.
Johnston added: As a team, we took it into our next set and it was probably the best thing that happened to us.
St. Mary’s rode the momentum of the second half into the fifth set, leading 10-3 over Cascade Christian.
The Challengers went 12-9 with 3 points on a kill from Todd, but the Crusaders rolled off the last 3 points to wrap up their comeback victory.
“I saw the block double block and there was no one there so I just tilted it right away,” Dunn said of Final Kill. It was a moment.”
How things ended was a stark contrast to how the first set unfolded.
It was Cascade Christian on the front foot early on as the Challengers built an 11-3 lead after kills by Todd and Molly Griffin. Todd’s crosscourt his kills gave him a 10-point advantage at 16-6, and Todd’s block and his sophomore Julia Brehm capped his 9-point run, giving the Challengers his lead. We led 22-6.
“I think it was just a small mistake that we made, a small contradiction that we struggled with,” Todd said of the change from the first and second sets.
St. Mary’s used another quick start to take an 8-2 lead early in the third set, but Cascade Christian was able to pull off thanks to a Griffin block after a long rally and another Todd kill. A 12-12 draw. The Challengers then used a 7-point run to take the lead at 24–17 with kills on Freeman and Claire Knips.
Griffin finished with 38 assists and Knips added 6 kills for the Challengers.
“I played well,” Todd said. “It wasn’t as good as we could have been, but it showed us what we could do.”
Dunn also took the win with 5 blocks and 4 aces.
Bernard finished with 5 kills, while Ward had 4 kills and 3 blocks. Sidney Holderman recorded his four aces, Borobanski chipped on his 14 digs, and Crusaders setter Caitlin Hansen recorded his 32 assists. .
“I think we all played really well as a team,” Johnston said. “We started working together and communicating more, and in the end it really worked out. We came together as a team and I think it worked perfectly.”
Please contact reporter Danny Penza at 541-776-4469 or dpenza@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @penzatopaper.
St Mary’s Emma Johnston scored a point against Cascade Christian in Medford on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
St Mary’s Kelsey Dunne scored a point against Cascade Christian in Medford on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
Cascade Christian won the third set against St. Mary’s in Medford on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
Cascade Christian’s Ellie Harrington scored an ace against St. Mary’s in Medford on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
St Mary’s Kelsey Dunne scored a point against Cascade Christian in Medford on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
Cascade Christian’s Annika Byers dives to save the ball against St. Mary’s in Medford on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
Cascade Christian’s Julia Brehm and Poppy Freeman are eyeing the block against St Mary’s in Medford on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
Cascade Christian’s Poppy Freeman scored points against St. Mary’s in Medford on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
St Mary’s Kelsey Dunne scored a point against Cascade Christian in Medford on Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
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