Camas, Ridgefield volleyball don’t duck early challenge

RIDGEFIELD — As two of the area’s most successful volleyball programs, neither Camas nor Ridgefield felt the need to ease into this season.

So why not open with an ultra-competitive faceoff against each other?

Camas won Monday’s match in four sets, overcoming a tough challenge from the Spudders in a nearly-full Ridgefield High School gym.

After Camas won a tense first set 26-24, Ridgefield rebounded to take the second set 25-22. But the Papermakers regained their poise to take the third set 25-21 and the fourth set 25-20.

Camas has earned a trophy in three of the past four Class 4A state tournaments, including a sixth-place finish last year. A good showing at state is this year’s goal, so it made sense for the Papermakers to start against a team that has reached five consecutive Class 2A state title matches.

Last season, Ridgefield pushed then undefeated Camas to five sets in a midseason non-league match.

“Ridgefield has a good history, obviously,” said Kendall Mairs, the lone senior on this year’s Camas team. “We needed a good game to start us off.”

The returning Class 4A Greater St. Helens League co-MVP, Mairs is fully healthy after battling through injuries last season and is now the team’s primary setter. Monday, that meant plenty of service to Ella Thompson, a junior who tallied 17 kills.

“I think it’s good when we get to play tough teams,” said Thompson. “We get to work on different things, to experience what it’s like to have a big block or face a strong server.”

Thompson and Mairs are the core of this year’s team, which is trying to fill the void left by seven graduated seniors. That includes 4A GSHL co-MVP Halle Reiter, who now plays collegiately at Santa Clara.

Emmah Sanchez, a junior, has taken over for Reiter at libero and had 15 digs on Monday.

Thompson said this year’s goal is for Camas to reach the state semifinals, which the program hasn’t done since a second-place finish in 2000. Both she and Mairs believe the young players on this year’s team bring enough talent that Camas can make another run at a state trophy.

“We’ve had a lot of the incoming sophomores step up,” Mairs said. “All of them are pushing us in practice whether they touch the court or not.”

Like Camas, Ridgefield is also a young team trying to replace a talented group that has graduated. None of those tasks is taller that replacing Lizzy Andrew, now a freshman at Stanford whose 6-foot-5 presence gave last year’s team a constant advantage at the net.

The Spudders return first-team all-league setter Callie Curran. Monday, she set up talented sophomore hitters Ella Burke and Paige Hanes, who combined for 27 kills.

“They’ve both played at a national level,” Ridgefield coach Sabrina Dobbs said of Burke and Hanes. “I feel like they’re not afraid. I told them both, keep balling out when you’re out there.”

Dobbs said she’s encouraged by how the eager to improve this year’s team has proven itself to be. Monday showed Ridgefield is already in a good spot.

“We’re new so we’re adjusting to how big teams like Camas play,” Dobbs said. “There are a bunch of stud athletes on that team. I didn’t know how we would match up against them, but I think we played them really well.”

CAMAS 3, RIDGEFIELD 1

26-24, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20

Camas

Highlights – Caroline Beaulieu 4 kills, 11 digs; Ella Thompson 17 kills, 12 digs; Emmah Sanchez 15 digs, 2 aces; Kendall Mairs 7 digs, 3 kills, 5 aces, 1 block, 39 assists; Noelle Beaulieu 10 kills, 12 digs; Quinn Pedersen 7 kills, 3 aces, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 dig; Shaylee Stephen 2 blocks, 1 dig, 7 kills.

Ridgefield

Highlights – Isabelle Walker 3 digs; Tava Whitlow- 8 digs, 2 aces, 1 kill; Tula Gervais- 1 ace, 2 digs; Ella Burke 14 kills, 1 block, 5 digs; Maddy Conklin 2 kills, 1 block, 3 aces, 2 digs; Paige Hanes 13 kills, 3 aces, 10 digs; Addison Veitenheimer 3 digs; Callie Curran 3 kills, 2 blocks, 35 assists, 4 digs; Piper Moog 3 kills, 2 blocks; Sydney Ostrom 2 kills, 5 digs.