Prep Volleyball Roundup: Scores and Reports from the Blast Zone

Kelso Express: Hilanders put Battle Ground down quick

Oct 04, 2024

The Hilanders didn’t waste any time stacking another non-league win with a three-set sweep of Battle Ground in a 3A/4A Greater St. Helens League volleyball tilt. Kelso took every set in impressive fashion by scores of 25-8, 25-7 and 25-13.

“We had a consistent game all the way around,” Kelso coach Michelle Mury said. “We were able to play young players that did not miss a beat.”

In particular, the Hilanders excelled at the service stripe with a 97.3% serving percentage that helped to keep the momentum almost entirely on their side. And if you’re looking for specifics, Maali Amrine went on one early run with 16 service points and four aces that set the tone for the rest of the night.

Mury noted that Skylar Richie and Addison Hislop had their best performances of the year in the win. Hislop posted 20 service points and 14 assists, and Richie finished an active night swinging at the net with six kills.

“Sheena McGregor and Royal Grafton continue to be aggressive and strategic at the net with 8 and 10 kills each,” Mury added. “Halle Johnson is an incredible leader who was able add some new offensive plays.”

But on a night where they only allowed 28 points in total, the defense also earned recognition.

“The back row was controlled with solid defense from Tru Bettineski, Isabella Moe and Ashlyn Rennels,” Mury said.

Kelso (5-2) will host Prairie on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for another league contest.

Monarchs rushed early by River

Mark Morris fell in three sets at home to Columbia River, Thursday, by scores of 25-8, 25-8 and 25-21.

It was a struggle early on against the 2A GSHL leading Rapids, but the Monarchs managed to find their sea legs by the end.

“This was a tough match for us. I was disappointed in the lack of fight we came out with,” MM coach Carmen Hewitt said. “It looked like we were just going through the motions. Once we decided to step up and play, we were able to make it competitive.”

Rio Deiter led the Mark Morris offense with eight assists, while Aliyah Yaple posted four kills. Alexa Harrison and Aela McNeilly each added three kills in the loss.

“Aliayh Yaple had another strong match. She led with tough serving, defense, and kept swinging hard offensively,” Hewitt added. “Aela McNeilly had another fantastic offensive night.”

Defensively, Anali Birrueta had the best luck defending the Rapids’ attack. She posted eight digs on the night and Lexi Gunter added four more.

“Analiz Birrueta and Lexi Gunter both did a great job of digging Rivers’ tough hitters by the end of the night,” Hewitt said. “We were able to adjust to the power to keep it competitive. Overall it was great growth in the third set, and I feel that is something we can build on.”

Mark Morris (4-6, 3-4 league) will host Woodland on Monday at 7 p.m.

Lumberjills bowled over by Spuds

R.A. Long suffered a three-set defeat at the hands of Ridgefield, Thursday, at The Lumberdome, dropping the 2A GSHL volleyball affair by scores of 25-21, 25-15 and 25-11.

Evelyn Ofstun had another strong night at the net for the Lumberjills with six blocks and five kills, while Ella Eib added six kills and four digs in her varsity action of the season.

On defense Eve Huhta led the Jills with 15 digs, while Lyla Khle added six digs and handed out seven assists.

R.A. Long (4-6, 2-5 league) will have a chance to reset this weekend with a full day of action in the Lumberjills Invitational tournament at The Lumberdome and Monticello Middle School beginning Saturday morning.

Beavers best Washougal in five

Woodland took out Washougal in a marathon 2A GSHL volleyball match at home, Thursday, by scores of 25-17, 25-11, 7-25, 18-25 and 15-9.

Jenna Starr led the Beavers with 15 kills on 36 swings, and Ashleigh Calvillo posted eight kills on 18 attempts. Faith Hay added seven aces to the Woodland offense.

After a hot start, the Beavers had to dig in to secure the win once the air went out of the gym from back-to-back defeats in the middle rounds. Strong play at the net helped to stem the tide for the home team.

“Kennedy Bockert and Savannah Doughty both had four blocks,” noted Woodland coach Kendall Rohrer. “Ava Johnson and Ashleigh Calvillo both had two blocks, (too)”

‘Nooks nailed down by King’s Way

Try as they might, the Chinooks couldn’t pay the toll to get by King’s Way in a four-set loss to their new 1A Trico foes. After picking up a win in the first set, Kalama dropped the league match by scores of 23-25, 25-19, 25-22 and 25-16.

Emily Capen led Kalama with 22 kills, seven digs, one block and an ace, while Jacey Hutchinson tallied 26 assists.

“Proud of their effort tonight against a tough team,” said Kalama coach Rebecca Clark. “We put up a great fight.”

Ady Davenport added eight kills and two digs for the Chinooks. Taylor Hoggatt and Hiley Lawson anchored the defensive unit with 24 and 11 digs, respectively.

Kalama (5-4, 2-4 league) will host Castle Rock on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Riverhawks win a barnburner at Napavine

The Toledo volleyball team held on four a five-set victory over Napavine, Thursday, in Central 2B League action. The Riverhawks thrilled their Cheese Town faithful with whipsaw set scores of 18-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23 and 15-13.

“It was an exciting match to say the least,” Toledo coach Kelli Larson said. “In set five, and for most of the match, we had five freshmen and one 8th grader on the court.”

That 8th grader, Sidney Kruger posted 49 assists and freshman Ellie Fallon notched 24 kills.

Abby Umbriaco added 13 kills for the hosts after moving to the opposite side in the scrappy league win.

“I am super proud of their teamwork, focus and aggressiveness,” Larson added.

Toledo (3-5, 1-0 league) will play at Ilwaco on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Riverhawks will return to league play at Onalaska, Tuesday, at 7 p.m.

Fighting Ducks KO Morton-White Pass

Toutle Lake made quick work of the Timberwolves in the first Central 2B League volleyball match of the season, pulling off the decisive victory with set scores of 25-20, 25-20 and 25-16.

Jillian Eytcheson was first among a gaggle of Ducks who were perfect from the service stripe, landing 15 of 15 tries in the rectangle while posting 12 assists. Aliya Lindquist was also perfect on 14 serves, while Karly Opsahl was percet on seven serves while turning up five digs.

Kendall Dean added six kills with seven assists and nine digs for the Ducks. Lainey Dean added 12 service points with eight kills and seven digs, while Sophia Spinneberg posted six kills with a block.

Anna Reinbold put up two ace serves while misfiring just once on her serves and tallying four digs. Audrey Kilponen added three kills, two assists and one stuff block.

And that’s not all.

“Paige Parker (had) two kills from the back row!” noted Toutle Lake coach Erika Gould enthusiastically.

Toutle Lake (5-3, 1-0 league) will play in the Lumberjill Invitational at R.A. Long on Saturday. The Ducks will return to league play at Napavine on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Mules too stubborn to lose

Wahkiakum outlasted Firm Foundation in a five-set victory over Firm Foundation at home, Thursday, in 1B volleyball play. The Mules won what head coach Kayli Hurley dubbed “a rollercoaster” match by scores of 25-14, 10-25, 19-25, 25-22 and 15-13.

“Firm Foundation is a team that has a solid defense and it's hard to find a hole,” Hurley noted. “Couple that with three inexperienced freshmen in the offense and it makes for a somewhat tough time scoring.”

Jessie Lafever, Rylie Willis, Evy Hogue and Amy Horman all combined to form a nearly perfect serve-receive team that helped the Mules stay in system. Lafever also tallied 13 digs, while Willis posted seven and Horman added six.

Ryen Hurley led the offense with eight kills and Helen Lewis added five kills for the Mules. Sam Delacruz orchestrated the offense with 26 assists in the win.

“We pulled it out, even after coming into the third set and dropping the first four points on unforced errors,” noted coach Hurley.

Wahkiakum (6-3) will now make back-to-back trips to Longview starting with the Lumberjills Invite at R.A. Long on Saturday. The Mules will then play at Three Rivers Christian at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Clatskanie knocks of Nestucca on road to redemption

The Tigers had an idea that all of this was coming. After a disappointing end to last season in the OSAA State playoffs, the Clatskanie volleyball team banded together, determined to not let the ride end so early this time around.

On Thursday, Clatskanie took another step toward their preferred destination with a three set sweep at Nestucca by scores of 25-12, 25-12 and 25-19 in 2A NW League play.

“I’ve actually been looking forward to this season since then because I knew we had a lot of potential,” Clatskanie coach Amanda Baker said.

The Tigers put in the work in the offseason with several players joining club teams and the rest coming together for team camp in August. After racking up three wins this week the Tigers are 14-2 overall and ranked No. 5 in the latest OSAA rankings. But that doesn’t mean they’re satisfied.

“This week was a lot. We played Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Tuesday was pretty flat,” Baker noted. “We’re at this midseason point so we just had a talk after the game about cruising through the season and working to get to the top to be elite.”

At Nestucca the Tigers were led by Lace Willis, who posted 14 kills to go with one block and one ace. It’s the sort of performance her teammates are becoming accustomed to from the sophomore middle blocker.

“Lacey Willis came in as a freshman looking good with a ton of potential,” Baker said. “This year her confidence has just skyrocketed and we’re seeing so much more out of her in the front row.”

This season the Tigers have also moved Joey Sizemore from setter to outside hitter, while moving Addy Compton to fill the setter spot. The move has been beneficial for everyone.

On Thursday Sizemore notched nine kills to go with six aces and six digs, while Compton tallied 28 assists, two kills and two aces.

“This year (Compton’s) been able to step in and take over and it’s sped up our offense,” Baker explained.

Natalie Baker, a senior captain, has also been instrumental in the Tigers’ success. She posted 11 kills, 19 digs and two aces in the most recent contest, while libero McKinsey Doyle added nine digs and anchored Clatskanie’s serve-receive effort.

So far, the only blemish on the Tigers’ league record is a loss to last year’s 2A State champions from Portland Christian. Last year Clatskanie was swept in all of their meetings with the champs. This year they’ve already got one set win tucked away.

“We’re looking forward to the rematch. We play them at home,” Baker said. “We’ve got our sights set on that Final Four.”

Clatskanie (14-2, 8-1 league) will hit the road again on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. start at Gaston.

The Rest of the Scores*

Castle Rock 3, White Salmon 0

Pe Ell 3, Three Rivers Christian 0

Rainier 3, Banks 0

*Blast Zone Media did not receive reports for these matches. Please send scores, reports and all other news tips to blastzonenews@gmail.com.