In matches against overwhelmed opponents, Philomath High’s volleyball team will often work on offensive strategies as part of the ongoing process to put the best-possible lineup on the court by the time the playoffs arrive.
The Warriors had one of those types of matchups in their home gym Tuesday in a 25-19, 25-11, 25-14 victory over Sweet Home to open Oregon West Conference play. A staunch rival over the years, the Warriors have now won six straight matches in the series — the last loss to the Huskies occurred back in 2022.
Gallery: PHS volleyball vs. Sweet Home (Sept. 23, 2025)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s three-set volleyball sweep over visiting Sweet Home on Tuesday.
Following the latest win, second-year coach Whitney Thomas said she will often roll out new things in such matches.
“We did that a lot in the second and third set,” Thomas said. “I forced them to step out of their comfort zone as far as running plays offensively. They did a good job with it but sometimes it takes running it twice to get it correct.”
Philomath (5-3 overall, 1-0 Oregon West) rolled in the second and third sets but most of the points scored by the visitors were the result of Warrior miscues. In the third set, for example, Sweet Home (7-6, 0-1) scored only two points that it produced — a tap at the net and later on a block.
“We hit some balls out and we had some miscommunication a few times but that’s good,” Thomas said. “We need matches like this to be able to practice those things live instead of just in practice.”
Senior Taylor Hudson had a strong presence on the court.
“I hate to say this but it was very much expected,” she said when asked if it was surprising in any way that the team beat Sweet Home so decisively. “In the first set, we were not, but we progressed and it really showed that we play a higher volleyball and that we wanted to hit hard.”
Hudson finished the match with a team-high four aces. Serving and defense are areas of focus.
“Being the only middle that in our rotation I’ll be serving, I do want an effective serve and be able to play defense so it’s not like we have a weak link on the court,” she said.
Hudson also had eight kills. The head coach was impressed.
“She had great serving, she had some big plays in the middle as well,” Thomas said. “And our other middle, Alyssa Stanley, had some big blocks and got her hands on a lot of balls.”
In the second set, Stanley had a block for a 13-4 Philomath lead and Sweet Home called time out to try to stop the home team’s momentum. After the break, Stanley had another block.
Junior Nora Stanley had 10 kills and four aces. Setter Avery Smith, senior, finished with 24 assists and also had four aces.
“Nora (Stanley) and Shaylee (May) are playing really well consistently outside right now and Isabelle (Muir) is getting her hands on even more balls and that’s exactly what we wanted to do,” Thomas said. “So it’s coming together. Defensively, we’re coming together.”
Philomath won six of the first seven points in the opening set but Sweet Home started putting together a few runs and held a 15-12 advantage.
Hudson said the team was able to regroup.
“I think it’s taking accountability for each other,” Hudson said. “We have a thing — get the ball up, get it set and then just get it over the net. We want to get those three and then we can hammer away and score points.”
The Warriors tied the set at 16 on an ace serve by Nora Stanley and then took the lead on a kill by May. The Warriors never trailed the rest of the night.
Hudson had kills on the 22nd and 24 points and Philomath closed it out on an ace serve by May.
Philomath came into Tuesday after an eventful weekend that included an appearance in the North Marion Tournament’s championship match.
“It was a lot of volleyball in one day,” Thomas said. “When you play three matches in bracket play after three matches in pool play in the morning, it gives you a lot of experience in a hurry. I love going to tournaments because it shows them what it takes to go the distance and how you’ve got to dig deep physically, mentally, emotionally, all the things.”
Philomath will head to Stayton for a 6 p.m. Thursday match as conference play continues. The Eagles are off to a 3-5 start this season, including a league loss Tuesday in three sets at Cascade.
The team will then head to another tournament this weekend with an appearance Saturday at Creswell.
Philomath 3, Sweet Home 0
Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Philomath HS
| Sweet Home (7-6, 0-1) | 19 | 11 | 14 |
| Philomath (5-3, 1-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 |
