The Philomath High School volleyball team stumbled in its regular-season finale Thursday at Newport with a loss in a very close five-set match but could still celebrate the accomplishment of winning the Oregon West Conference championship.
Philomath and Cascade each finished with 8-2 records in league play but the Warriors swept the Cougars in head-to-head matchups to claim the crown. Both teams advance directly to the Class 4A playoffs and will await the results of upcoming play-in matches to determine first-round opponents.
“We’re looking forward to having a week of practice ahead to make more adjustments and prepare for the first round of state,” PHS coach Whitney Rasmussen said. “This group has worked hard to overcome many obstacles this season and I could not be more proud of them for finishing first in the league … a well-deserved title to hold.”
It’s the first Oregon West Conference title for the Warriors since 2017.
Philomath finished No. 17 in the final Oregon School Activities Association rankings with an overall record of 9-12. In the 4A playoff bracket, the top four seeds have been determined — No. 1 Marshfield (21-2), No. 2 Marist Catholic (17-3). No. 3 Crook County (22-6) and No. 4 Pendleton (17-5). Joining those four schools along with Philomath and Cascade as automatic qualifiers were Astoria, Scappoose, The Dalles, Henley, Klamath Union and La Grande.
Play-in matches will feature Tillamook at North Bend, Mazama at Cottage Grove, Junction City at Stayton and Baker at Estacada.
In Thursday’s match, Newport ended its season on a high note with the upset victory, 21-25, 25-23, 13-25, 25-15 and 16-14.
In an unfortunate circumstance, starting setter Ashleigh Brown had to leave the match in the first set with an ankle sprain.
“A lot of struggles tonight with Coco (Brown) not playing in the final three sets,” Rasmussen said. “The team worked hard to make adjustments but Newport had a great night and were able to outlast us in the end.”
In the fifth set, Philomath reached match point with a 14-12 lead after a Newport hitter’s attempt landed long. After the Cubs got a sideout, the ensuing serve hit the net and fell over to Philomath’s side but the Warriors kept the ball alive — at least until a whistle could be heard. The official called a net violation on the Warriors and Newport got the point to tie things up at 14.
On the next play, Philomath hit a ball high into the ceiling and it came back down hard to the court with little time to react. Trailing 15-14, Philomath wasn’t able to handle the next serve and the Cubs won the match.
PHS sophomore Nora Stanley and junior Shaylee May shared top hitting honors with 12 aces apiece. Stanley also served two aces, had two blocks and tallied 10 digs. Brown had two blocks, two kills and 12 assists before she left the floor. Junior Avery Smith finished with 18 assists.
