Relentless.
If there’s one word to describe the Prairie volleyball team during the 3A Greater St. Helens League season, that would be it.
Consider that Prairie did not lose a set in 10 league matches or two that followed in the district tournament.
Wednesday, the Falcons added a district title to their resume, beating Kelso 3-0 in the championship match at Mountain View High School. The set scores were 25-12, 25-21 and 25-19.
It was a fitting cap to a league season that saw the Falcons not give an inch or a set. Even when they trailed in the second and third set Wednesday, they rallied to win.
“We’ve worked on that a lot in practice, that if we get down to come together as a team,” said senior Tessa Doerfler, who had 22 digs Wednesday.
“They’re a pretty tenacious group,” Prairie coach Andrea Doefler said. “Even when sets have been close, they have a determination to continue winning.”
As it always does, Prairie entered the season with lofty goals. You don’t reach the state tournament five of the past six years without high standards.
But Prairie knew it had potential for a great season. It returned all but three players from last year’s team.
Doerfler, who led Prairie to the state title in 2012, returned after coaching solely at the club level for the past three years. With three coaches in three years, there could have been some inconsistency.
But that hasn’t been the case. Doerfler credited previous coaches Paige Person and Carlie Price with keeping the program’s core values consistent.
“Having Andrea come back really brought fire to us,” junior Zoe McBride said. “She won a state championship and we all want one. So that helped push us to want it more.”
McBride, a 6-foot outside hitter, was named 3A GSHL Player of the Year on Wednesday. She followed that award with 19 kills and 8 digs against Kelso.
“She contributes to our team in every aspect of the game,” Andrea Doerfler said. “She passes, she hits, she digs, she blocks, she serves. She’s one of those unique complete players. She’s really developed a hunger to do well and a desire to win.”
Middle blocker Hannah Neinaber, libero Tessa Doerfler and setter Megan Hess also earned first-team honors, giving Prairie half of the all-league first team.
District title in hand, Prairie now heads to this weekend’s bi-district tournament in Yelm. The Falcons face Shelton on Friday to open play in the 16-team tournament. Five teams advance to the 3A state tournament Nov. 11-12 in Kennewick.
Prairie has reached state each year, but hasn’t won a trophy since winning the 2012 title.
“They want to bring a trophy home,” Doerfler said. “There’s a lot of motivation in that. I keep bringing them back to keep them focused on what we’re doing here and now. But definitely, they’re motivated to get to state and bring a trophy home.”
Kelso, Mountain View and Hudson’s Bay are also headed to bi-districts. Mountain View earned the district’s No. 3 seed by beating Hudson’s Bay 3-0 in the third-place match on Wednesday.
Brittany Nagy had 11 kills and 13 digs while Lucy LeVasseur had 18 digs for the Thunder. Elisa Haug had 6 kills, 4 blocks, 9 digs for Hudson’s Bay.
