Service perfection propels Eagles into quarterfinals

Published 1:16 pm Monday, October 30, 2023

JOSEPH — One way to win in volleyball tournament play is to not give away points in serving.

The Joseph Eagles did just that on Saturday, Oct. 28, with perfect service play for the entire match as the team downed Lost River 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals of the 1A volleyball tournament.

Playing in their home gymnasium, the Eagles started quickly, winning the first set 25-18. Lost River was not to go down without a fight, however, and the lead in the second set went back and forth. Late in the second set, Lost River led, but then Joseph roared back to take a close 25-22 victory.

Using the momentum from the second set, the Eagles closed out the match with a third set 25-11 win.

“This was an overall great team effort,” said Joseph coach Jill Hite. “Our serving was impressive.”

Cooper Nave led the offensive effort with 19 kills. Aimee Meyers had 35 digs in the victory and Marley Hayes led the Eagles in both blocks and service aces.

Joseph (24-9 overall) will be on the court on Friday, Nov. 3 at Ridgeview High School in Redmond, playing in quarterfinal action versus Umpqua Valley Christian.

The Eagles are the slight underdog, according to the rankings, as the Monarchs come into the match as the fourth seed compared to Joseph’s No. 5 seeding for the 1:15 p.m. game. The victor will play later in the evening versus the winner of Adrian versus Crane. The loser moves into the consolation bracket with a game scheduled for Saturday morning.

Umpqua Valley Christian, like Joseph, has not lost a set in the tournament thus far. The Monarchs opened the tournament’s first round with a 3-0 win (25-17, 25-17, 25-9) win over Rogue Valley Adventist and took care of Prairie City/Burnt River in round two, 3-0 (25-10, 26-24, 25-19) to advance to the quarterfinals.

Eagles breeze in first roundNave led in both kills and serving aces for the Joseph volleyball team as the Eagles breezed through the first round of 1A state volleyball action, beating Southwest Christian 3-0 in the Joseph gym on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

The Eagles welcomed Southwest Christian, the tournament’s 28th seed, for the first round, and won in a quick three sets, 25-17, 25-15, 25-15.

Nave led the Eagles with 13 kills followed by Meyers, with nine kills. Marley Hayes added five blocks in the victory.

“We had solid serve and receive tonight,” said Joseph coach Jill Hite.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the Eagles had a bye in the first round of the state 1A volleyball tournament. In the first round on Wednesday, Oct. 25, Joseph defeated Southwest Christian in straight sets and then defeated Lost River in straight sets on Saturday, Oct. 28.