In most years the West Salem High School’s volleyball team – as well as the rest of the big school Salem-Keizer volleyball teams – are completely overlooked by the rest of the state.
And justifiably so.
Not only has a big school team from Salem never won a state championship in volleyball, in most years they have been fortunate if one team qualifies for the state tournament, let alone places in it.
The Titans defeat Lake Oswego in the second round of the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, at West Salem High School.
But this West Salem team can’t be ignored.
The Titans (24-2) represent the best shot a big school from the Salem-Keizer district has ever had of winning a state championship.
Between a combination of experience and a ridiculously talented senior class including outside hitters Paige Whipple and Kasey Campbell, setter Mattie Kelly and middle blocker Delaney Smith, West Salem has the combination to finally break through.
“I believe that this team is the best team that’s come out of Salem since I’ve been coaching,” said West Salem coach Katie Herber, formerly the long-time coach of Sprague. “I feel like they’re well rounded. It’s not like we have just one good hitter. We’ve got a bunch of diverse individuals on the court.
“All of our pieces are there. Now it’s just keeping them healthy and maintaining and hopefully them respecting their opponent and going out and playing set by set, point by point from beginning to end. If they do that, then good things will happen.”
West Salem quickly dispatched of No. 18 seed Lake Oswego in Saturday’s second round of the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs 25-7, 25-6, 25-20, even winning the final set easily after not playing well for most of it.
West Salem’s Mattie Kelly (No. 10) and Kayla Bain (No. 4) try to block Lake Oswego’s Mollie Jarrett as the Titans defeat Lake Oswego in the second round of the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, at West Salem High School.
Now the Titans are going back to the state tournament, and this time they have a legitimate shot of winning it.
“From when the conference got over we’ve been thinking about that one game at a time and we got past these two rounds,” said Whipple, who had 15 kills and nine digs.
“And I think our focus this next week in practice is that everyone is focused, everyone’s checked in and that we’re all here for the same goal because our goal is to win a state championship this year.”
History has not been kind to Salem-Keizer volleyball teams at the state level in state tournaments.
The best a team has ever placed at the state tournament is fifth (McNary and West Salem both have placed that high) and one time has a team reached the semifinal round (West Salem in 2006).
The No. 2 seed Titans (24-2) play No. 10 seed Clackamas in the 3:15 p.m. Nov. 4 first round of the 6A state tournament at 3:15 p.m. Nov. 4 at Hillsboro’s Liberty High School.
“I think we’ve already set ourselves apart from other teams in many other ways, and I think this final step will just prove how elite our team is this year,” said West Salem senior Ayle Armstrong, who had six aces against Lake Oswego.
“I think we’re capable of more. We kind of relax when we play a team that is not quite to our level. I think when we play harder teams we can step up our game even more than that.”
One thing working in the favor of West Salem is that the Titans are on the opposite side of the bracket from presumptive favorites including No. 1 seed Jesuit, No. 8 seed Sunset and No. 4 seed Central Catholic, the one Oregon team to which the Titans have lost this season.
West Salem’s Paige Whipple and the Titans defeat Lake Oswego in the second round of the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, at West Salem High School.
And West Salem didn’t graduate a player from last year’s team that placed sixth at the state tournament so they know what to do once they get there.
“The majority are seniors,” Herber said. “They have that experience, and they know the feel of when they’re faltering and when they’re getting quiet or the momentum’s dying. They understand that and they work really hard on resetting themselves by themselves on the court.
I think they have the best chance that a team has from Salem. I hope for it because that’s been their goal. So finger’s crossed, but they have to respect their opponent.”
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler