The Philomath High School volleyball team reached the semifinals Saturday of the Marshfield Invitational in Coos Bay.
The Warriors came out of the morning pool play matches as the No. 1 seed heading into bracket play. Philomath advanced past the first round with a 25-17, 18-25, 15-12 victory over 5A opponent North Eugene. In the semifinals, Churchill, a 5A school ranked in the top 10, had the upper hand with a 25-22, 25-19 win.
PHS coach Whitney Thomas said the Warriors delivered an excellent performance in the tournament — their third of the season. This marks the most regular-season tournaments Philomath has participated in since 2022, when they competed in four.
In statistics from the tournament, several PHS players had a strong presence at the net. Junior Nora Stanley and senior Shaylee May finished with 39 and 34 kills, respectively. Junior Megan Ward had 25 kills and eight stuff blocks, senior Taylor Hudson ended up with 22 kills and nine stuff blocks and freshman Alyssa Stanley added 10 kills and four stuff blocks. Senior Avery Smith finished with seven stuff blocks to go along with 90 assists.
At the service line, Nora Stanley and Hudson each had five aces.
Marshfield defeated Churchill in the championship match, 25-15, 25-20.
Philomath (14-5) will get back into Oregon West Conference play Tuesday with a trip to North Marion. The Warriors will then host their final regular-season match at 6 p.m. Thursday against Newport. The team’s seniors will be recognized before the match.
Marshfield Invitational
Saturday, Oct. 18, at Marshfield HS, Coos Bay
Bracket Results
Philomath 2, North Eugene 1
| North Eugene (5-10) | 17 | 25 | 12 |
| Philomath (14-5) | 25 | 18 | 15 |
Churchill 2, Philomath 0
| Churchill (11-7) | 25 | 25 |
| Philomath (14-6) | 22 | 19 |