Monday Whiteboard: News and Notes 11/6
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The Whiteboard is filled with news and notes on the upcoming state tournaments for the 1B-2B-1A and 2A divisions, the big playoff matchups in 3A & 4A, and players that are in the spotlight this November! TALKING TOURNAMENT! Our focus…
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Continue ReadingThe Whiteboard is filled with news and notes on the upcoming state tournaments for the 1B-2B-1A and 2A divisions, the big playoff matchups in 3A & 4A, and players that are in the spotlight this November!
TALKING TOURNAMENT!
Our focus for October, Rankings, and RPI have disappeared along with the last bit of sunshine in October. November lets us preview and review the teams, players, and performances in the 3 separate state two-day state tournaments at the Yakima Sun Dome. This week we have 1B/2B Wednesday and Thursday, followed by 1A/2A Friday and Saturday. Let’s look at the top title contenders in each Division, along with a dark horse and players to watch in the Player of the Year races.
1B: Oakesdale Nighthawks. The 1 seed finished with the top RPI and coaches ranking, and they have a trio of seniors who have taken home two consecutive championships. Patyon Davis is a strong choice for Player of the Year in 1B. Davis has played exclusively on the outside this season and is in the top 5 statewide for kills and aces.
1B: Neah Bay is an undefeated #2 seed on the other side of the bracket and they will look to make their way through and challenge Oakesdale if both teams advance. Setter Ryana Moss is a good athlete with quick feet who can give her attackers a solid chance to take swings in and out of system. Outside hitter, Angel Halttunen is a 2026 prospect who can put the ball away from the pin and the team overall is athletic at all positions on the court.
1B: Darkhorse: Almira-Coulee-Hartline. The Warriors come into State seeded 4th and would need to pull off the upset over Oaksdale to advance to the championship. The team has lost two matches this season, both in 5- including one match early in the season to the Nighthawks. The Warriors are tall and athletic in the middle and senior MB Natalie Evers has a quick arm that can rack up kills in a hurry. Grace Okamoto is a 2027 libero who makes play along the backline, the Warriors may have the height and skill to push for a trophy.
It is going to take a special effort for any team to handle Oakesdale. The Nighthawks have so much experience in the state tournament and winning DNA is baked into the program. Davis waited her turn to be the focal point of the offense, playing as a setter, middle, and outside in her previous 4 years. The senior who started her career with Oakesdale as an eighth-grader now has the chance to stamp this group as her team in the Sun Dome.
2B: Adna Pirates. Kendall Humphrey is a powerful attacker who finds ways to take swings from every position along the front line. The junior is the league MVP and the Pirates have not dropped a match this season. They will be tough to stop on the bottom portion of the bracket. Goldendale is the 4 seed and Taryn Rising Taryn Rising 5'9" | OH Goldendale | 2024 State WA can take over matches. She would need to do that and more to try to reverse a mid-season loss to Adna.
2B: Manson is the #2 seed and has a potential player of the year in Stella Petersen Stella Petersen 5'9" | OH Manson | 2025 State WA . The 5’10 2025 attacker has led the team to an undefeated mark and tallies massive numbers of kills and digs. Much like Chelan and Brynn Hughbanks Brynn Hughbanks 5'9" | OH Chelan | 2026 State WA , Petersen takes swings from every spot on the floor and she has the skill and ball control to score consistently.
2B: Dark Horse: Colfax. It’s hard to label the 3 seed a dark horse but with the undefeated seasons posted by Adna and Manson the Bulldogs have been a bit under the radar. A trio of excellent players lead the way, Ava Swan Ava Swan 6'0" | MB Colfax | 2025 State WA , Lauren York Lauren York 5'7" | S Colfax | 2024 State WA , and Hailey Demler Hailey Demler 6'0" | MB Colfax | 2025 State WA . The November surprise may be the return of dominant middle blocker Brynn McGaughy, one of the top athletes in the state and a top-level hoops recruit.
The 2B tournament is going to be a battle, with the top 4-6 seeds all having the possibility to get hot and make a run. Colfax has the experience of playing in the championship last season and is peaking at just the right time. A semi-final with Manson should be an all-timer and worth the price of admission.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Gonzaga Prep vs Kamiakin– at Kamiakin Thursday. It’s a winner-to-state matchup in 4A District 8, the loser has to wait and play a loser-out match for a second chance at the tournament. The Eastern half of the state has 4 spots in the tournament, two from District 6 and the two on the line in District 8. The Kamiakin Braves are undefeated on the year and have excellent seniors in critical positions on the floor. Senior OH Payton Arland is this season’s MCC MVP, setter Rylie Dolven Rylie Dolven 5'7" | S Kamiakin | 2024 State WA won the award last season. G-Prep has dropped a single match on the year and plays a smart ball-control game based on tough serving, gritty defense from everyone on the floor, and timely swings from experienced attackers. Kamiakin should have a big, vocal crowd and the match will be an excellent test for both squads. The Mid-Columbia Conference teams play a double round-robin league schedule, with little to no room for non-league games, Kamiakin ended the regular season 18-0, all in league games.
Eastlake vs North Creek- round 3! The two teams meet again after a split of matches, with the most recent a three-game sweep by the Wolves. We have our eye on some of the players that make a difference while not garnering all the headlines. Eastlake junior attacker Finley Johnson Finley Johnson 6'0" | OH Eastlake | 2025 State WA contributes timely kills and gives the Wolves another tall and talented attacker along the front line. North Creek MB Ena Hadzikadunic Ena Hadzikadunic 5'10" | MB North Creek | 2024 State WA is a hard worker who is experienced and has played big games in both club and school ball. Expect another great showing from both teams and extreme effort after the Wolves ended the Jaguar’s undefeated season mark.
UNDER REVIEW- LAST WEEK’S MATCHUP TO WATCH.
Curtis vs Olympia– Thursday 11/2 at Olympia.
This 4A heavyweight matchup did not disappoint. In a 5-set win, Curtis showed grit and a mix of young talent and smart experienced upperclassmen sharing the load. Curtis went with a 5-1 with junior setter Peyton Ensign Peyton Ensign 5'9" | S Curtis | 2025 State WA in control of the offense and Kathryn Harris, an excellent attacker/setter handling the OH2 role full time. Selena Morales was back on the front line. Hannah Byers Hannah Byers 6'2" | OH Olympia | 2024 State #151 Nation WA led the Bears with 22 kills on 68 swings, the senior did all she could in carrying the Olympia offense, and her setter Kate Herrick Kate Herrick 5'8" | S Olympia | 2024 State WA played a stand-out floor game in a nail-biting contest. Ultimately Curtis made a few more plays in the 16-14 5the set, and Morales delivered 7 blocks to help control the net for the Vikings. Junior outside Avery Cukjati posted a big 15-kill, 19-dig double-double for Curtis and passed nails in serve receive. Both teams played with passion and showed they will be difficult matchups in the playoffs and the state tournament.
AVCA PLAYER OF THE WEEK- WASHINGTON WEEK 12
Every week the AVCA and MaxPreps award a player of the week to each state. To be eligible for the award, players (teams) must update their stats in MaxPreps. Check out the awards here, https://www.avca.org/award/2023-maxpreps-avca-girls-high-school-players-of-the-week-award-week-12/. Kaylin Gines is a freshman OH from Mary Walker who will be playing in the State Tournament this week. The 6’2 Gines was on our radar as an eighth grader last season, and she is hitting over .375 this season with a season-high of 33 kills while playing 6 rotations. Gines is developing quickly into a dominant player, if you are in the Sun Dome this week check out the team from Mary Walker to catch her in action. Congratulations on the award!
The Prep Dig Washington Top 250 Expo: December 2nd, 2023
We are excited to bring Washington a Prep Dig Top 250 Expo Showcase this winter! Thank you to the Academy Sportscenter in Lynnwood for use of the awesome facility, we are grateful for the opportunity to play host to the athletes from all over the state there. Our December 2nd event slots in after the State Tournament and Thanksgiving, but before club tournaments fire up. Seniors; I encourage you to make a weekend of it and cap your high school career in the Showcase and play in the 2023 Senior All-State Volleyball Match the next day, December 3rd at Burlington-Edison High School.
For all the information on the Top 250 Expo follow this link: https://prepdig.com/top-250-expos/, The coverage will be extensive on social media and Prep Dig, the competition fun and fierce, and the coaches working the event knowledgeable. We have a discount code for you to use for $10 off EtterExpo2023.
Thank you to all the players (and parents!) who have signed up already. You can see the list live here, https://events.prepdig.com/e/907/attendees. We are poised to pass 50 players committed with a month left to sign up. There are top-ranked players from all over the state attending the Showcase, the competition in Lynnwood is going to be spectacular and you won’t want to miss it!
ATTENTION CLUB COACHES: Please enter and personalize your club program on the site, when we add a player or a player sets their free profile they can choose the club and it will have all your social media contact information, logo, etc. added.
Here is a link to the club program setup page: https://prepdig.com/create-your-program/. CPA from the Spokane area and Seattle Juniors have both been updated recently, under your club profile players who have you listed show with their respective class year.