3A State Finals: Impact Players

The 3A State finals last weekend were between the 2x 4A State champs Valley Catholic High School (2018 and 2019) and the former 3A State champs of 2022 Burns High School.    The Valley Catholic Valiants handled the match and swept the Burns Hilanders in three (25-15, 25-19, 27-25).   To recap the match, we will be identifying and highlighting players from each team that were impact players for the team. Although the Valiants came out on top, the Hilanders also had some athletes with great performances in the match.    VALLEY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL    Arellano was tasked with running a 5-1 this season as the primary setter on the team. With sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='161860' first='Peyton' last='Rogers'] transferring to Lakeridge this season, all eyes were on Arellano to run the offense. She did an exceptional job all season long executing and putting up consistent sets for the attackers. The State finals were not different, she did an outstanding job feeding the ball to hitters who couldn't be stopped (most notably sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='161853' first='Willa' last='Kayfes'] and senior [player_tooltip player_id='91397' first='Abby' last='Berndt']). In the match, Arellano posted 31 assists and 10 digs, the most digs from any Valiant on the court.    Berndt showcased steady play for the Valiants during the State finals match. A leftie, the right pin would be the natural fit for Berndt, however, given her versatility and ability to swing from anywhere, the senior has been playing on the left pin primarily. The State finals were no different. She did an exceptional job swinging smart, placing the ball where the Hilanders weren't, and using the block to her advantage. Berndt amassed 11 kills on 25 swings, hitting a .320. Pushing back on serve receive, she had 7 receptions and passed a perfect game with no errors. She also tallied 6 digs.     Kayfes was a force to be reckoned with during the State finals match. Her attacking from the middle was unstoppable. With some of their other attackers struggling to put the ball away, Kayfes stepped up and helped lead the team to victory. With 19 swings, she had 12 kills and only one error, hitting an impressive .579. She also had 3 service aces on 11 attempts with no errors. And she had the one and only Valiant block. It seemed only fitting that Kayfes had the game-winning kill to solidify a 3rd State championship for the Valiants. Her steady yet dominant play also garnered her Moda Health Player of the Game.     Rewers, the primary libero for the Valiants, brought the steady ball control she has been bringing all season long for State final match. Her steady serve receive, relentless pursuit on defense, and leadership in the backrow, was a major factor in the Valiants success. She handled the tough serves and powerful swings from the Hilanders with great confidence. On serve receive, she passed a near perfect match with only 3 errors on 17 receptions. She also racked up 8 digs. From the service line, she caused some major disruptions with 5 service aces on 23 attemtps with only 2 errors.    BURNS HIGH SCHOOL    Kaino was the most dominant attacker for the Burns Hilanders during the State finals match. Between Kayfes for the Valiants and Kaino for the Hilanders,  this match was truly a battle of the middle blockers.  With other players struggling to put the ball away, Kaino stepped up offensively. She was the only player for Burns to have an attack rating above .100, hitting a .241. She racked up 12 kills on 29 swings with 5 errors. She also had one block.     King has been a dominant six-rotation outside hitter for the Burns Hilanders this season. While her attacking during the State finals was not as dominant as it typically is, she found other ways to contribute to the team. On the match, she had 8 kills on 31 swings, but had 7 errors, resulting in a .032 attack rating. However, King caused major disruptions from the service line with an impressive 9 service aces on 31 attempts, with no errors. Her blocking was formidable, which resulted in her posting 4 blocks, accounting for half of the Hilanders blocks. She was not phased by the tough serves and swings by the Valiants. She posted 10 digs and had 12 serve receptions, with only four errors, passing a .750. For her play, she was also named Moda Health Player of the Match.     Temple was a force all season long for the Hilanders back row and during the State finals, this was no different. She brought steady ball control on both defense and service recieve. Although her play was not enough to change the outcome of the match, she had some incredible plays that kept the Hilanders in rally after rally. The Valiants did a good job keeping the ball away from Temple during the finals, so she posted lower dig numbers than normal. The senior walked away with 5 digs. However, she also had 12 service attempts, and no errors, and passed a .810 on serve receive with 17 receptions and only 4 errors.

The 3A State finals last weekend were between the 2x 4A State champs Valley Catholic High School (2018 and 2019) and the former 3A State champs of 2022 Burns High School.