Cascade Wins 4A State Title

By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

CORVALLIS, Ore.– Cascade returned to the bench to a deafening roar of cheering from their hometown crowd as they led Sisters 8-4 in the fifth set.

The Cougars had 4A powerhouse Sisters on the ropes in a match at Corvallis High School that saw each Oregon West Conference-opposition traded sets in Cascade’s 27-29, 25-17, 17-25, 25-18, 15-7 victory Saturday night.

It’s weird to think that two years ago the Cougs won four games and were sitting seven points from winning their first-ever State Title in Volleyball. They overcame the first set nerves to answer Sisters’ answers over the course of the match.

Neither team wanted to give-in as the match came down to the Volleyball equivalent of Game 7 as they went back out to cheers.

After a slow-start in the first set, Cascade and Sisters traded punches as they split the first four sets in the 4A State Title Game Saturday night (Picture By Jeremy McDonald)

“It makes me really proud of our team from how far we’ve come because we weren’t good at all and we worked our butts off all season the last three seasons for this,” said a teary-eyed Kenna Coleman following the game. “We knew what was at stake and I felt like we really wanted it, so we really put the effort out for it. It feels really great to be a part of it.”

Coleman set the pace for the offense with 55 of the Cougars 59 assists and matched Meah Carley’s nine digs with nine of her own in the State Title Match. Lucretia Benolken led the offense with 18 kills and 10 digs.

And it felt as if the little town of Turner made the trip to Corvallis to support their girls, who had just enough in the tank to sustain their momentum for 11 more points as they wrapped up their 22-4 season with the Title in hand. Sending their eight seniors off right and setting the tone for those coming up behind them.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald