As varsity volleyball practice started to wind down Monday evening in Philomath High’s auxiliary gym, first-year coach Whitney Rasmussen didn’t want to waste a single moment.
“Do it again, again, again,” she called out from the side of the court as players quickly scrambled back into position.
It’s an exciting time — those last few days before the season opener. Playing at 6 p.m. Thursday on their home court, the Warriors will face a formidable opponent in Sprague — a Class 6A school that won its conference a year ago and placed fifth at state.
Philomath is coming off a 14-9 season, which included an appearance in the 4A playoffs. The Warriors finished a solid 8-2 in the Oregon West Conference and return several key players for this year’s campaign.
“This is probably one of the most athletic, all-around varsity volleyball teams I’ve coached probably ever,” Rasmussen said following Monday’s practice. “They should definitely be a contender in the league.”
Sophomore Nora Stanley and junior Shaylee May will provide outside hitting power for the Warriors. Senior Zoee Howard and junior Taylor Hudson are penciled in as middles. Senior Ashleigh Brown returns as the team’s primary setter and junior Avery Smith is back after an injury. Seniors Madison Provance and Hannah Bennett are returning defensive specialists. Senior Kynlee Albin brings back varsity experience.
“We expect a lot out of them this year and they’re doing an amazing job so far,” Rasmussen said. “With all of those returners, the sky’s the limit, really, for them. They can go as far as they want to go.”
Stanley, Provance and Brown earned all-conference recognition a year ago. The experience factor can mean a lot in the bigger matches.
“A lot of them are used to varsity matches and the pressure of the matches,” Rasmussen said. “I mean, they don’t look nervous to me. We scrimmaged the other night and we had parents and family members come in and they definitely didn’t have the nervousness that I’ve seen in previous years. We’re hopeful for Thursday with Sprague at home that they’ll still be feeling that.”
Junior Isabelle Muir, senior Olivia Rice and sophomore Megan Ward will figure into the varsity lineup as well.
Said Rasmussen, “They are all new to the varsity but I fully expect them to contribute in every way possible.”
Practice started Aug. 19 but Rasmussen said players are coming along well with the finer points of the game.
“We’re already working on things far advanced instead of where you typically are in the second week of practice, which is fantastic,” Rasmussen said. “They’re a really smart crew as well, they really are picking up concepts really quickly.”
In other words, when the coach gets into the deep details, the players get it.
“It’s a big bonus as a coach when you’re explaining something and they’re all saying, ‘yeah, OK, that makes sense,’” Rasmussen said. “It’s a really great group that’s played together for quite a while now.”
A given in volleyball is the high level of communication required to make a team click.
“Volleyball is really unique — there’s six people that are on the court at the same time so really understanding who it is that you play next to and your rotation and learning to play with them, communicating with them, is really a key to a successful season,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen, who succeeded Autumn Hilberg as the head coach, said she hasn’t noticed much in terms of players needing to make adjustments through the change.
“I would say the biggest thing … is really just getting used to my coaching style versus Autumn’s coaching style,” Rasmussen said. “That’s not a negative thing, just a personality difference as far as how we coach.”
Varsity assistant Shelly Brown brings a positive comfort level to the team.
“Shelly has a lot of volleyball experience and coaching experience in general like I do and the two of us work really, really well together,” Rasmussen said. “We both notice different things and see different things and I think the players really appreciate that.”
In addition to Brown, Becky Bennett and Rose Buckner round out the volleyball coaching staff. Bennett will serve as the junior varsity head coach and Buckner will coach the JV2 squad.
Rasmussen said about 45 students came out for volleyball.
“Instead of cutting players from the program, we gave players on the JV2 team the option of being practice only,” Rasmussen said. “That way, everybody could stay in the program if they wanted to and some chose to do that.”
The published roster shows 35 athletes in the program, including 16 freshmen.
Following this week’s opener against Sprague, the Warriors will host Pleasant Hill and Crescent Valley Sept. 5. After an appearance in the South Eugene Invite Sept. 7, the team hosts Scio Sept. 9, heads to Marist Catholic Sept. 12 and hosts Junction City Sept. 19. The team then gets into league play.
Other tournaments appearing on the schedule include the Mt. Hood Invite Oct. 5 at Sam Barlow High and the Clearwater Classic Oct. 19 at Bend.
Rasmussen figures Cascade will be the team to beat in the conference again this season. The Cougars went 10-0 in league play in 2023 and placed third at the state tournament. Philomath plays Cascade at home Oct. 1 and on the road Oct. 17.