2A State Final Four Top Performers
In this article:
The Columbia River Rapids swept their way to a repeat title, overcoming league foe and rival Ridgefield in straight sets. Surprise top-four finisher Pullman shocked the 2A tournament with a quarterfinal upset of #1 seed Lynden before falling in the…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Columbia River Rapids swept their way to a repeat title, overcoming league foe and rival Ridgefield in straight sets. Surprise top-four finisher Pullman shocked the 2A tournament with a quarterfinal upset of #1 seed Lynden before falling in the semi-finals and then dropping a hard-fought match to Burlington Edison to finish fourth overall. Ridgefield had an excellent season overall, with their only losses in the 2A ranks to the Rapids. Here are some of the players that truly shined in the semi-finals and finals of the 2A Championships.
Besides the obvious physical attributes that she possesses, Dreves has a very advanced feel for the game and a great sense for the right shot at the right time in a match. The feel/volleyball IQ, shows up when you watch her quickly transition into the right location on the court relative to the location of the player setting the ball. She will get outside or stay inside, it might be a hard turn or just a few quick backpedals to be in the ideal spot to take the swing. When she gets there, the shot is adjusted depending on the block, she is a scorer not just someone hitting it as hard as she can. Her serve game really showed up in the tournament, with a flat jump float and tough defense, she rattled off long scoring runs from the back row.
Keane was terrific all tournament long for the Greyhounds. She was excellent defensively, playing an athletic middle back and reading opposing hitters well. Her encouragement for her younger teammates was was infectious, and Pullman pulled the huge upset over Lynden with her setting the pace for the squad. She is a shot maker on the outside, making the best out of any set and willing to take a hard swing with a match on the line. Middle Sophie Armstrong will help lead a group of 9 returners in 2023 for the Greyhounds.
Andrew is nearly unstoppable at the net, her contact point and ability to hit over or off the top of the block is impressive. She was very solid in serve receive, that will be a facet of her game that continues to improve and opponents tested the rangy 6’5 athlete to see if she could hold up under serve pressure. If her ultimate position is in the middle, she has an awesome block and attacks explosively off one foot. If she can play all the way around though, what a weapon on the pin. Her versatility was on full display and Ridgefield found her in the pipe when they needed a big swing.
Lexie Mason
Lexie Mason
Burlington Edison rolled into the SunDome with an 8 player roster and proceeded to grit and grind their way to the 3rd place trophy. Lexie and sister Annika did the major share of the damage offensively for the Tigers, and the team was consistently tough on defense and played low error while pushing Columbia River to a 4 set match in the semi final. The sophomore lefty is a right side with the strong arm, big block and touch to score at a high rate. The Tigers fed her the ball early and often, and she delivered kill after kill.
Callie Curran
Callie Curran
On the floor with players like Paige Stepanuik, Natalie Andrew, Lizzy Andrew and others, it might be easy to be overlooked. Sophomore Curran is the smooth operator of the Spudders attack and showed she will be a setter to watch over her next two seasons. For a young player the moment never seemed to be too much for her as Ridgefield made their way through a tough post season slate of opponents. She has good length for the position, makes a strong effort on the block and did well attacking for Ridgefield.
Mia Whitlock
Mia Whitlock
Whitlock is a relentless competitor and super athlete on the outside and playing defense for the Tigers. All of her numbers improved in her sophomore season, and she did everything for her B-E team during the tournament. Her athleticism allows her to make adjustments on sets, and she can take a hard swing or play a smart tip when needed. The Tigers ran her on a “2” down the middle, and she did a nice job surveying the block and scoring.