RIDGEFIELD — For as much that is new with this year’s Columbia River volleyball team, plenty remains the same.
For one, the Rapids remain the team to beat in the Class 2A Greater St. Helens League. Columbia River showed that Tuesday with a decisive three-set sweep over rival Ridgefield.
Columbia River maintains the high standards befitting program that has won three consecutive Class 2A state championships. Little does it matter that many players tasked with big roles were substitutes or junior varsity players last year.
“They know they have a target on their back,” River coach Breanne Smedley said. “They’re defending state championships that some of them didn’t play in. But they’ve accepted the challenge.”
Another familiar feature – the Rapids go-to player and leader has the last name Dreves. This year, it’s senior Sydney Dreves.
Her older sister Lauren Dreves, last year’s Gatorade State Player of the Year, is now starting for Auburn as a true freshman. Sydney Dreves, a two-time member of the Columbian’s All-Region team, has committed to play at Boise State.
Tuesday, Dreves shined on both attack and defense with 15 kills and 14 digs. While the Dreves name has been synonymous with River’s recent volleyball success, this year’s captain prefers the spotlight to be on the entire team.
“I don’t like to be called the face of the team because all 12 of us represent River very well,” she said. “But if you’re going to say I represent this team and this program, I’m very proud of how we’ve played and what this program is.”
Smedley said Dreves is a perfect fit for the Alpha-type of role her sister held the previous two years.
“She’s a phenomenal leader,” Smedley said. “She just seamlessly stepped into that role. The team respects her to no end.”
But Dreves isn’t alone on River’s attack. Tuesday, 6-foot sophomore Sophia Gourley collected a team-high 17 kills.
Gourley said she’s following the model set by previous classes of River volleyball standouts.
“It took a lot of watching the older girls, how they play and just how they are on the court,” Gourley said.
One constant over River’s championship run has been having an elite setter. The past three seasons, the Rapids had a senior setter who went on to play in college: Caroline Hansen (Western Washington), Sophie Worden (Montana Western) and Macey McCoy (South Carolina State).
This year, junior Avery Seley is tasked with perhaps the most important position on the court. Tuesday, she assisted on 32 of Columbia River’s 39 kills.
“Typically we’ve had senior setters who had waited in the wings,” Smedley said. “Avery is a junior who has had to learn quickly and adjust quickly to the pace of this level. She’s doing great and has connected so well with her hitters.”
Columbia River (2-1, 2-0) opened the season Sept. 10 with a loss to Prairie, which finished fifth in last year’s Class 3A state tournament. But a weekend tournament in Auburn saw the Rapids make great strides in finding their chemistry and identity.
“I think it was a well-timed loss,” Smedley said. “As much as it hurts coming out of the gate with a loss, it did help propel us through the rest of the week.”
That more polished version of the team was evident in all three sets Tuesday against a team that has reached the Class 2A state championship match in each of the last three years. The Rapids won the first set 25-13, held off the Spudders in the second set 25-19, then ran away with the third set 25-10.
“We’re on the right track but still not satisfied,” Smedley said. “We have a lot of room for growth, but we’re in a really good place.”
