Philomath High’s Nora Stanley spent Thursday night’s match against Santiam Christian right where she never wants to be — on the bench, watching.
An inflamed right shoulder has sidelined Philomath’s standout senior but she’s hoping for a return by this coming Tuesday. Sitting on the bench in street clothes, Stanley couldn’t stop watching for her younger sister.
“It’s honestly one of my favorite things ever,” Nora said of playing alongside sophomore Alyssa Stanley. “I love volleyball more than probably anything, but I love volleyball with her even more than that.”
On Thursday, that meant cheering as Alyssa put down a team-high seven kills in a three-set loss to Santiam Christian. The Class 3A Eagles won by scores of 25-21, 25-19 and 25-14.
Alyssa, who made varsity as a freshman a year ago, has now spent two seasons on the court alongside her older sister — one more than Nora got with the oldest Stanley sister, Clara, before she graduated.
Gallery: PHS girls volleyball vs. Santiam Christian (Sept. 10, 2026)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s home girls volleyball match against Santiam Christian on Thursday.
Having Nora on the court is about more than volleyball, Alyssa said.
“It’s just nice to have a person on the court I can really look up to because I’ve been with her my whole life,” Alyssa said. “So it’s not just volleyball skills I can look up to her with. She definitely calms me down when I get stressed out with a tight score.”
PHS coach Whitney Thomas said Alyssa’s power has been building toward a moment like Thursday’s.
“Alyssa can hit the ball very hard. Alyssa has improved a ton, and I think she’s just waiting for the opportunity to show everybody exactly how much she’s improved,” Thomas said. “But as the season progresses, I think we’ll see a lot more of this.”
Nora’s absence opened a spot for senior Marri Best, who was making her first appearance of the season. She made the most of it by finishing with six kills.
“Marri hasn’t even stepped on the court this season yet because she was gone and needed to get some practice time in before she could play,” Thomas said. “I think she stepped in and did an amazing job for us. I was really proud of her and really happy for her to get this chance tonight.”
Junior Addison Rice added five kills and senior setter Cheyenne Adams contributed 14 assists.
In the first set, Santiam Christian (5-2) held a three- to four-point edge for much of the way before Philomath rallied to within 21-20. The Eagles closed it out from there, 25-21.
Set two was tied at 11-11 before Santiam Christian reeled off four straight points on a Philomath service error, a serve-receive miscue, a kill from senior Brynna Worden and an ace from sophomore Nina Riddle. Philomath never got closer than three points the rest of the way.
Santiam Christian jumped out 5-1 in the third set before the Warriors clawed back to tie it at 10-10 and later pulled within 13-12 on an Alyssa Stanley kill. From there, the Eagles closed on a 12-2 run to complete the sweep.
Philomath (0-3) will look to regroup Saturday at a tournament in Estacada with Thomas noting the nonconference stretch is giving players a chance to find their footing before Oregon West Conference play begins.
Santiam Christian 3, Philomath 0
Thursday, Sept. 10, at Philomath HS
Teams (Record) 1 2 3 Santiam Christian (5-2) 25 25 25 Philomath (0-3) 21 19 14
OREGON WEST CONFERENCE
STANDINGS—Central 5-0, Taft 4-2, Cascade 3-2, Newport 2-2, Stayton 1-2, Philomath 0-3.
SCORES—Sept. 8: Scappoose 3, Cascade 2; Sweet Home 3, Newport 1; The Dalles 3, Stayton 0. Sept. 9: Central 3, Gladstone 0. Sept. 10: Marist Catholic 3, Cascade 0; Scappoose 3, Newport 0; Santiam Christian 3, Philomath 0; Taft 3, Tillamook 2.
