Spotlight on the 6A State Finals: Top Performers

On Saturday, November 9th, the Jesuit Crusaders notched their ninth State title. They can proudly say they are back-to-back state champions after defeating Oregon City in the finals for the second consecutive season. Defeating the Pioneers 25-21, 25-16, 18-25, 25-15, the four-set finals were a battle, with high-level volleyball from both sides of the net on full display.    While Jesuit came out on top, some standout performances from both the Crusaders and Pioneers deserve recognition.    From State Champions, the Jesuit Crusaders:    [player_tooltip player_id='267161' first='Sadie' last='Ross'] - Moda Health Player of the Match    The junior outside hitter had herself a game. She was fairly unstoppable from the outside. She came out of the gate with tons of confidence and an attack mentality. She was relentless on the swing, her hammer of an arm on full display. With 33 attempts, 14 of them resulted in a kill. With only 5 attack errors, Ross hit an impressive .273 on the match. Her dominant performance earned her the Moda Health Player of the Match. She also earned 6A First Team All-Tournament and Metro First Team All-League.    [player_tooltip player_id='257559' first='Addy' last='Azavedo']    Azavedo, the Crusader's trusty libero the past three seasons, was a commanding presence across the backcourt during the finals. Averaging a 3.0 serve receive rating on the season, she is not easily shaken here, and the finals proved to be no different, with only a single reception error across four sets. She also tallied a match-high 17 digs. Her serving came in clutch for the Crusaders, tallying quite a few service aces, including a 6-point serving run in set 2. She earned 6A First Team All-Tournament, Metro Player of the Year, and First Team All-League.    [player_tooltip player_id='249606' first='Jada' last='Johnson']   Johnson had, arguably, one of her best attacking matches of the season. Playing on the outside, she put her impressive leaping abilities and quick arm swing to work. The junior pin hitter took 36 swings, and 13 of them resulted in a kill, hitting a 1.39 on the night. She also shut down the Pioneers with two blocks on the night. For her impressive play, Johnson was named to the 6A All-Tournament Second Team, as well as Metro Second Team-All League.    [player_tooltip player_id='238094' first='Kiana' last='Johnson']   Johnson was a force across the backcourt, playing the backrow rotations for junior outside hitter. Her ball control and defensive skills came in clutch. She tallied 6 digs, and was near perfect on serve receive, with zero reception errors on the night. Also, her aggressive serving was pivotal in the Crusaders ability to get the Pioneers out of system, making it harder for them to put up a solid ball to Thies. She was awarded Metro Second Team-All League for her play this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='161833' first='Hayden' last='McGehee'] & [player_tooltip player_id='161822' first='Jackie' last='Carle']    The senior setting pair of McGehee and Carle have been a cornerstone to the Crusaders offensive systems since their sophomore campaigns. And on championship night, the pair continued doing what they do best, executing a 6-2 offense masterfully. McGehee tallied 19 assists and Carle recorded 17 assists on the evening. They pair each had a service ace, and played lights out defense. Both were awarded Metro First Team-All League.    From runner-ups, the Oregon City Pioneers:    [player_tooltip player_id='161159' first='Paige' last='Thies'] - Moda Health Player of the Match   Thies, the top recruit for her class in Oregon and #39 nationally, has been the primary offensive contributor for Oregon City since her freshman season. So the state finals for her senior year was no different. The Pioneers fed her the ball 56 times, and the senior outside attacker found a way to put the ball away 17 times. With only 9 attacking errors, she hit a .143. Thies proved herself to be the heart and sole of this Pioneer team and found ways to contribute in every area of the game. Her dominant performance earned her the Moda Health Player of the Match. She earned 6A First Team All-Tournament, Three Rivers Player of the Year, and First Team All-League.   [player_tooltip player_id='249598' first='Emma' last='Comer']   Comer who has suited up as the Pioneers libero the past two seasons was seen commanding the backcourt for the team during the state finals. Her quick defensive reactions and fearless digs amongst some of the states top attackers was impressive to watch. She tallied 11 digs on the night. She also brought a tough serve to the service line that resulted in 3 aces. For her play, Comer was awarded Three Rivers Second Team All-League.   [player_tooltip player_id='257578' first='Phoebe' last='Hyland']   Hyland, the primary setter for the Pioneers, executed a 5-1 offense for the team with confidence. She knew which hot hitter to feed, so when she was able, Theis got the ball. But she did a good job spreading the ball out when the opportunity presented itself. She notched 17 assists on the night. She also brought a tough serve to the service line that resulted in 2 aces. For her play, Hyland was awarded Three Rivers First Team All-League.

On Saturday, November 9th, the Jesuit Crusaders notched their ninth State title. They can proudly say they are back-to-back state champions after defeating Oregon City in the finals for the second consecutive season. Defeating the Pioneers 25-21, 25-16, 18-25, 25-15, the four-set finals were a battle, with high-level volleyball from both sides of the net on full display.