The Philomath High School volleyball team put together an exceptional performance in its final match of Oregon West Conference play on Tuesday night with a three-set sweep on the road over Stayton.
The Warriors came out strong for a decisive first-set victory and then pulled away late in tight situations in the second and third sets, 25-17, 25-21 and 25-19.
“It was a good night,” PHS coach Denee Newton said. “The girls played well and they’re feeling really good about postseason prep.”
Philomath’s record will in a couple of days go to 7-5 in the Oregon West, 9-9 overall. The Warriors will be awarded a forfeit victory for a match against Newport that had been scheduled for Oct. 21. Newton said PHS is trying to schedule an endowment match but nothing has been finalized yet.
The Class 4A rankings freeze date is Thursday and the Warriors appear to be in position to host a match, possibly on Oct. 26. The Oregon School Activities Association will publish those pairings by the end of this week.
Winners out of the play-in matches move on to the 4A state playoffs with the first round matchups on Oct. 30 at the site of the higher seed. In a change from past years, the quarterfinal matches will also be played at the site of the higher seed, those falling on Nov. 2. The state tournament will feature the final four teams squaring off on Nov. 5-6 at Corvallis High School.
In Tuesday night’s victory, Philomath fine-tuned its form for a postseason run. The Warriors trailed 3-2 early in the first set before reeling off 10 straight points to take control. Sage Kramer got the set-clinching kill.
Stayton, which pushed Philomath in a five-set loss earlier this season, put up a fight in the second set with the teams going back and forth most of the way. The Warriors led just 17-16 at one point but created a cushion with a Kramer kill and a Reagan Larson serve that Stayton’s defense couldn’t effectively get up to the front row.
But the Eagles fought back to within 21-20 after a timeout. Larson put the Warriors back on top 22-20 with a hit into a Stayton defensive gap. With Taylor Roe serving, Ashlynn Barron got a kill for a three-point lead.
The Eagles cut it to 23-21 but their next serve went into the net. Philomath then won the set on a Stayton hit attempt that sailed wide.
In the third set, a similar outcome materialized. Philomath led just 20-19 at one point before finishing strong with the final five points. A Kramer kill gave Philomath the sideout and sent Clara Stanley to the service line. Another Kramer kill followed for a 23-19 lead and Stayton’s attempt at returning a serve went over the net and wide. The final point was scored when Stayton hit into Larson and Mackenzie Hiner, who went up for the block on the right side.
On the final stat sheet, Kramer had 15 kills and three aces. Larson also had three aces serving.
Stayton goes to 8-12 overall, 4-8 in the Oregon West and appear to be high enough in the rankings to earn a play-in match.
Philomath 3, Stayton 0
Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Stayton HS
TEAMS (RECORDS) SET 1 SET 2 SET 3 FINAL Philomath (8-9, 6-5) 25 25 25 3 Stayton (8-12, 4-8) 17 21 19 0 PHS STATISTICAL LEADERS Kills: Sage Kramer 15, Ashlynn Barron 6, Clara Stanley 5, Abigail Brown 5, Reagan Larson 3, Mackenzie Hiner 1.
Aces: Larson 3, Kramer 3, Roe 2, Stanley 1.
Note: Other statistics not available.
Conference Standings
(As of Oct. 19)
Oregon West Conf Pct. All Pct. SW SL Sisters
Cascade
Sweet Home
Philomath
Stayton
Newport
Woodburn9-2
9-2
8-2
6-5
4-8
2-9
0-11.818
.818
.800
.545
.333
.182
.00018-3
17-4
9-4
8-9
8-12
2-12
2-14.850
.850
.692
.471
.400
.143
.12545
48
27
30
25
9
613
12
13
28
35
38
41
Tuesday, Oct. 19
Philomath def. Stayton, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19
Sisters def. Cascade, 26-24, 25-18, 31-29
Sweet Home at Newport, late
Thursday, Oct. 21
Cascade at Sweet Home, 6 p.m.
Woodburn at Sisters, 6 p.m.
Philomath def. Newport, forfeit
JUNIOR VARSITY
Stayton 2, Philomath 0
Tuesday, Oct. 19 at Stayton HS
| TEAMS | SET 1 | SET 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philomath | 9 | 11 | 0 |
| Stayton | 25 | 25 | 2 |
| TEAM NOTES |
|---|
| The JV team’s record goes to 11-9 on the season. … The JV team currently shows no other matches on the schedule. |
JUNIOR VARSITY 2
Philomath 2, Stayton 0
Tuesday, Oct. 19 at Stayton HS
| TEAMS | SET 1 | SET 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philomath | 25 | 25 | 2 |
| Stayton | 23 | 16 | 0 |
| TEAM NOTES |
|---|
| The JV2 squad finishes the season with just one loss, which occurred in the opener. … Philomath won its own JV2 tournament on Saturday, going undefeated for first place. |
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