Philomath High School’s volleyball seniors had plenty of feelings and energy to work with Thursday night and they channeled them into a set win against one of the league’s top teams.
Central won the match 25-18, 25-6, 23-25, 25-18 in the PHS gym but the Warriors bounced back from a lopsided second set to take the third, 25-23, against a Panthers team that came in near the top of the standings and ranked in Class 4A’s top 10.
Gallery: PHS volleyball vs. Central (Oct. 22, 2026)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s girls volleyball match at home against Central on Thursday.
“That was probably the most fun game it’s ever been,” senior Lora Theurer said. “We had our lows, but we came back with our highs, and we matched them and even went above and beyond.”
Senior Nora Stanley led Philomath with 18 kills and two blocks. Senior setter Cheyenne Adams finished with 21 assists and an ace, senior Marri Best had two kills and an ace and Theurer added a kill and an assist.
Nora Stanley’s younger sister, sophomore Alyssa Stanley, had three kills, five blocks and two aces, and junior Luci Alley contributed two kills and three blocks.
After dropping the second set 25-6, Philomath trailed early in the third before Alyssa Stanley won a play at the net to tie it at 10-10. The Warriors went ahead for the first time when Central couldn’t return a serve within three touches.
The set went back and forth from there, and Central led 21-20 before Alyssa Stanley’s stuff block tied it. Philomath then scored three straight points on a Nora Stanley kill, a Central hit that went long and another Nora Stanley attack that was blocked out of bounds.
The Panthers answered with two straight points to pull within 24-23, but Nora Stanley’s block ended the set.
“I actually didn’t even realize that it was over when I got that block,” she said. “I had no idea that was the last point of the set because I was just in go, go, go mode.”
Central regained control in the fourth set to close out the win.
Before the match, the Warriors honored their four seniors and the emotions carried onto the court.
“I think we had a lot more feelings and energy that we probably normally don’t have, and we actually were able to pick ourselves up,” Best said.
Nora Stanley recalled being pulled into the hallway after tryouts as a freshman and asked by then-coach Autumn Hilberg if she wanted to play varsity.
“It was the easiest yes of my life,” Stanley said. “I knew that I would be able to play with my older sister, and so I was just over the moon about making varsity.”
Theurer also started her high school career playing alongside her older sister and said the program’s roots run deep.
“That’s what I love about Philomath, is that we’ve grown up with each other,” Theurer said. “I’ve played with Nora since fourth grade, Cheyenne since middle school, and so many of the other girls.”
Adams said this year’s team has learned a lot together.
“We feed off of each other a lot,” she said. “We rely on each other, and we trust each other, and we’re able to lift each other up.”
With a young roster, Theurer said the seniors and returning players have embraced the chance to mentor.
“This is probably the most mentally amazing and friendly team I’ve ever been on,” she said.
Philomath (4-16 overall, 1-8 Oregon West) wraps up the regular season at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Stayton. Central improved to 16-2 overall and 7-2 in league play.
Central 3, Philomath 1
Thursday, Oct. 22, at Philomath HS
Teams (Record) 1 2 3 4 Central (16-2, 7-2) 25 25 23 25 Philomath (4-16, 1-8) 18 6 25 18
