By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SCIO, Ore.– Scio’s Kadence Soto has slowly come into her own as a setter.  From being a freshman setter during the six-week shortened season in 2021 to her normal sophomore year shortly after with Taryn Ramsay off-setting her as the Loggers went with a two-setter system this past season, Soto has grown and improved into the role that she is in now entering her junior season.

Soto called her freshman year a learning experience.  Learning through situations, picking up the little things that made this past season a lot more easier for her to navigate.

“Last year I got to better my skills because we had more time in the gym.  I had another setter that was doing the same drills as me.  Me and Taryn have played club together, so our skills have kept bettering and bettering as we’re getting older and we’re getting more time in the gym,” Soto said.

Soto and Ramsay are on the same SCVC, Santiam Canyon Volleyball Club, squad together.  It’s unique to have two setters on the court together as Scio had this past Fall, but it played a part in the Loggers going 13-4 overall and 7-1 in PacWest Conference play.

“It’s amazing because that way having another setter on the courts, one of us can stay back on defense so we can have more coverage on the court.  If one of the setters takes the ball on defense, (just) having another setter.  Taryn and I are good communicators on the court, so if one of us can’t get a ball, we know the other one’s going to get the ball,” Soto said of the dynamic.

Tuesday marked one of the few Open Gyms left going into their Summer League schedule, the Loggers are hosting a few games this July that start on July 5.  Soto led a few of the breaks being one of the Varsity players in attendance Tuesday and helped out as the Scio setter looked to find her voice as a leader going into the Fall schedule.  Knowing the standard has been set 

“I’ve always been loud I guess, but last year I wasn’t super loud on the court.  But this year being an upperclassmen, I really need to step into that leadership role and talk to my players more.  Make sure they’re doing the best that they can and being more supportive than I ever have been,” said Soto.  

And with an expected sophomore-junior heavy squad coming back this year, the expectations are just as high if not higher for them entering this Summer League and into the Fall.  With Taft, Santiam Christian, Jefferson and Sheridan joining the conference and Yamhill-Carlton leaving for the Coastal Range League, the competition is only going to challenge them even further.

“It’ll be pretty big.  Last year we had a really successful season, but I think this year we’re going to have even more experience.  We know what we can do, so we know that we can try to top it and push even further.  Push further than we did last year,” Soto said of building from last year.  “We gotta keep pushing ourselves to the max and keep pushing ourselves to not give 100-percent, but give 200-percent and knowing that we got to leave it all on the court even though we know we’re going to have another year.  We’re just going to get older and we’re going to get better and going to only get stronger.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald