The high school volleyball team competed in the Cascade Tournament at Cascade High School, facing a series of challenging opponents on Saturday, Sept. 7.
The Huskies played against Pendleton, Seaside, Valley Catholic and Tillamook throughout the day. In their first pool play match, Sweet Home struggled against Pendleton, losing in two straight sets, 0-2 (18-25, 19-25). Despite the loss, the team bounced back in their second match against Seaside, securing a 2-0 victory (25-20, 25-13).
The match against Valley Catholic, which ultimately won the tournament, proved more difficult for Sweet Home. The team was unable to gain momentum and fell 0-2 (10-25, 16-25). In the silver bracket match against Tillamook, Sweet Home competed closely, but was unable to overcome their opponent, losing 0-2 (20-25, 23-25).
“The girls did a good job with their serves,” Coach Katie Dargis said. “I’m happy with how some of the girls attacked the ball.”
The standout performer for Sweet Home was Tiara Reynolds, who led the team with a total of 19 kills.
“She was our main attacker at the net,” Dargis said. “She was very consistent in her swing and took advantage of a lot of teams with that.”
On the defensive side, Karissa Jewell played a key role, especially in the match up against Valley Catholic, known for their strong offense.
“She helped control the pace of our game because of her defensive abilities against Valley Catholic’s tough offense,” Dargis noted.
Setters Trinity Victor and Natalie Smith were credited for effectively spreading the ball among the attackers. The team still faced challenges with communication breakdowns and hitting errors, but Dargis emphasized the overall growth of her young team.
“I am really proud of them,” Dargis said. “This is a young varsity team, I think they’re doing a good job just stepping up and playing against tough teams.”
After the tournament, Sweet Home returned to action with a 3-0 win over Molalla on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The Huskies won all three sets, 27-25, 25-19, and 25-19. Dargis praised the team’s performance at the serving line, where they gave up only three points due to missed serves.
Natalie Smith was a key contributor, leading the team with 17 serves, including seven aces. Katilyn Kennedy added 12 serves and three aces. Reynolds continued to show her attacking skills with six kills, while Kiera Johnson and Kennedy contributed five kills each.
Despite the success, the team recognized areas for improvement, particularly in reducing attack errors. Sweet Home gave up around 20 points on attack errors throughout the match. However, the team kept serve-receive errors to about 12, a figure Dargis was happy with.
“The team really fought hard and came out with a lot of spunk and energy and didn’t let that die down in times [that] were tough against us,” Dargis said. “They continued to rise to the challenge and fight hard.”
Sweet Home will host Estacada (2-1) at home on Monday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. as they continue their season.
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