Senior McKenzie Cochran was named Most Oustanding Player for the Sweet Home volleyball team Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the Huskies’ awards dessert.
Sweet Home, which finished fourth in the Sky-Em Conference with a 4-6 record, and 9-13 overall, has a bright future, said fifth-year Coach Alicia Meier.
She noted that after the initial surge in her first two years, when a group of seniors who had started together on varsity for four years took the Huskies to a sixth-place finish at state, there have been several rebuilding years.
“We’ve been getting a couple more wins each year since then, building confidence. We may not have all the players, but we’re getting there.”
This year’s team included two freshmen and a sophomore who were starters, and four juniors, along with four graduating seniors.
Plus, the Huskies have some promising talent that will move up from the junior varsity, she said.
“Our junior varsity teams were the only ones to challenge Sisters (losing 25-23, 25-21). That was a huge feat. Then we pulled out a win against Sutherlin after getting creamed there.
“To have a team basically full of freshmen, it’s pretty nice to have that in the future.”
Other award winners for the Huskies were: sophomore Madisen Barringer, named Most Inspirational along with senior Jordan Miller; junior Lola Wingo, who was named Most Improved; and Sierra Thayer and Cochran, recipients of the Hustle Award.
“I’m really excited about the future of the entire program,” Meier said. “I really feel our fourth-place finish did not reflect our potential. The chemistry wasn’t quite there, but there is a lot of potential on this team. We can work on the chemistry and we can get better.”