Philomath High’s volleyball team participated in a tournament for the third straight weekend with a Saturday appearance in the Mt. Hood Invitational at Sam Barlow High in Gresham. An event with an exceptional pool of talented volleyball teams, Philomath won two of its five matches.
The Warriors (10-5) opened the tournament with a 25-15, 27-26 loss to Crook County but quickly regrouped and defeated 5A Ridgeview, 15-25, 25-23, 15-9.
Standouts in the victory included Abigail Brown with several kills and Madison Juhl for control and stuff blocks, coach Autumn Hilberg said.
“Ridgeview is a really good 5A team and it just shows the girls that they can compete with the best and come out on top,” Hilberg said.
Philomath dropped a two-set match to 6A Sandy, 25-22, 25-17, defeated Estacada, 25-9, 25-15, and without a break went into a match against 6A Sam Barlow. The tournament’s host school got the win, 25-11, 25-14.
Hilberg said she’s seeing progress with the team.
“The growth I am seeing in each individual is different but so valuable to the team,” she said. “I am proud of how they have bought in to the growth mentality.”
On the day, statistical leaders included Abigail Brown with 37 kills, Tryon with nine aces and 81 digs, Juhl with 13 blocks and Ashleigh Brown with 91 assists.
The Warriors will get back into Oregon West Conference play on Tuesday with a home match against Stayton. Philomath will also play at home Thursday against Cascade. Both of those matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. starts.
