Philomath volleyball coach Whitney Thomas doesn’t have to look far for the identity of this year’s team — it starts with senior outside hitter Nora Stanley.
Stanley, a first-team all-conference selection last year, has started on varsity since she was a freshman and returns for her final season as the Warriors’ clear go-to player, both on the court and in the locker room.
“I think this will be a great year for Nora,” Thomas said. “Nora has always shown amazing leadership skills on the court, even as an underclassman. She has so much experience on varsity, obviously.”
Thomas said Stanley has waited for the chance to lead a program the way she’s long led on the court.
“She’s honestly been waiting to have this role as a senior and be able to really lead, not just on the court — she’s always had that on-court presence — but off the court,” Thomas said. “She brings an insane positive energy everywhere she goes.”
Philomath finished last season 17-8 overall and 8-2 in the Oregon West Conference, good for second place behind Cascade. The Warriors swept Madras in the first round of the playoffs to reach the eight-team state tournament at Marshfield, where they went 1-2 — losing to Cascade in the opening round, beating Astoria in the consolation semifinals and falling to Marshfield in the fourth/sixth-place match.
That team is largely gone. Philomath graduated four all-conference honorees — first-team hitter Shaylee May, second-team setter Avery Smith, honorable-mention middle blocker Taylor Hudson and honorable-mention libero Isabelle Muir. The Warriors also lost senior Lucie Oster to graduation, while three other players moved away.
“Megan (Ward) moved to Arkansas, and Taylor and Rylee (Martin), the twins, who were our swing players from JV to varsity, they moved to Texas,” Thomas said. “So we lost eight.”
Replacing Smith at setter is one of the more pressing questions. Thomas said senior Cheyenne Adams will take over the primary setting role with junior Addison Rice — a returning transfer back from Crescent Valley — also expected to run the offense.
With Hudson gone in the middle, May gone on the outside and Muir gone at libero, Thomas said the front row — not the back row — is the bigger question mark entering the season.
“We have a lot of people with a lot of back row experience, so it’s mostly just learning defensive strategies as far as the varsity level goes,” Thomas said. “It’s definitely filling the gaps offensively. We’re going to focus a lot on defense and learn that first. You have to play defense before you can play offense. So serving and defense are No. 1 priorities this season, for sure.”
Only four players on this year’s roster have varsity playing experience — Stanley, Adams, senior Lora Theurer and sophomore Alyssa Stanley — Nora’s younger sister.
Alyssa Stanley, who played mostly middle back last season behind Hudson, has grown into a bigger role after playing club volleyball in the offseason, Thomas said.
“She’s shown a lot of growth already in the season,” Thomas said. “You can definitely tell that she’s got a little more experience under her belt this year, and has even stepped up in terms of a leadership role.”
Thomas said the roster crunch during preseason workouts was significant enough that she had to cut 10 players to reach a manageable number. The program is carrying 32 athletes.
“It was awful, and it’s like a coach’s worst nightmare, especially in a small program in a small school — you never want to cut kids,” she said.
Thomas will again be joined this season by assistant coaches Mackenzie Hiner and Taylor Roe, who lead the junior varsity team, and Alex Tipsword, who coaches JV2.
Realignment reshaped the Oregon West Conference this offseason. North Marion and Sweet Home are out; Central, a former 5A program, and Taft are in. Thomas said the shakeup — combined with an unsettled lineup this early in the season — makes it difficult to set specific goals.
“We don’t know our lineup yet,” she said. “Our league just changed. Central’s really strong. I haven’t seen Taft in a long time, so it’s really hard to know all those things. But honestly, in the past, this league has been so strong. … It’s always a goal to just get to those top two spots in the league, and that’s probably our biggest goal right now.”
Cascade remains the team to beat after winning the conference outright last season. Thomas has a personal tie to the Cascade program this year — her former coach, Philomath Hall of Famer Fern Robinson, has a granddaughter on the Cougars’ varsity roster.
Thomas, who is coaching Philomath for a third straight season and also served as head coach in 2009-10, said she uses the nonconference schedule as a genuine proving ground rather than a chase for wins.
“I use preseason as a true preseason, always have,” she said. “We play lots of different lineups. I don’t typically care about wins and losses too much. … We have a lot of nonleague stuff this year that I worked with (athletic director) Mike (Hood) on to get some different teams to play, versus the same ones over and over again every year. I think it’ll be good to see what the competition’s like in other parts of the state.”
Philomath opens the season Sept. 1 at Marist Catholic before hosting its home opener Sept. 3 against Tillamook. The Warriors open conference play Sept. 24 at Newport.
PHS SCHEDULE
Sept. 1 — at Marist Catholic, 6 p.m.
Sept. 3 — Tillamook, 6 p.m.
Sept. 10 — Santiam Christian, 6 p.m.
Sept. 15 — Pleasant Hill, 6 p.m.
Sept. 19 — at Astoria, 12:30 p.m.
Sept. 19 — Warrenton (at Astoria), 2 p.m.
Sept. 24 — at Newport, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 25 — Ontario, 6 p.m.
Sept. 29 — Taft, 6 p.m.
Oct. 1 — at Cascade, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6 — at Central, 6 p.m.
Oct. 8 — Stayton, 6 p.m.
Oct. 13 — Newport, 6 p.m.
Oct. 15 — at Taft, 6 p.m.
Oct. 20 — Cascade, 6 p.m.
Oct. 22 — Central, 6 p.m.
Oct. 27 — at Stayton, 6 p.m.
PHS ROSTER
Seniors (4) — Cheyenne Adams, Marri Best, Nora Stanley, Lora Theurer
Juniors (6) — Luci Alley, Brooke Griswold, Rainey Hamblin, Aaron Hazzard, Bella Montemayor del Nero, Addison Rice
Sophomores (9) — Emma Griswold, Brooklynn Logan, Chloe Pedder, Kalei Rynearson, Alyssa Stanley, Bella Steiling, Jaida Stevens, Adelaide Victorine, Sarah Workman
Freshmen (13) — Audrey Berry, Sophia Brandt, Nina Dunn, Tessa King, Elizabeth Kramer, Karter Leyva, Ellie Penix, Doreen Racine, Alley Remington, Mylee Thurman, Irelynn Wallace, Elsie Jo Webber, Lexie Yandall
Correction, August 28, 2026 10:47 am: This story originally identified volleyball players Brooklynn Logan and Chloe Pedder as a freshmen, based on information provided during reporting. They are both sophomores.
