ER volleyball’s new core reaches potential in getting to 4A final

The Emerald Ridge High volleyball team is coming off one of its best postseason runs to date after the Jaguars marched into the Toyota Center in Kennewick earlier this month and came away with a second-place finish at the Class 4A state volleyball tournament.

Getting to the state tournament was to be expected. But the run Emerald Ridge made once it arrived was just the Jaguars reaching their potential as the new young core was reaching its potential. It’s what coaches Jill Fox-Mullen and Bobby McGivern could hope for.

This is the new wave of Jaguar volleyball, and it looks to be here to stay.

“Walking into the whole thing, we really didn’t know what to expect,” captain Mackenna Smith said. “The seniors went out and talked about keeping them (the team) all together … I knew what it was playing in a state game as a sophomore — it’s nerve-racking.”

“This year, we wanted to come out stronger than last year … we wanted to play with more fire and energy,” Allie Bauer added. “We worked hard to rebuild new chemistry this year.”

Bauer and Smith both were able to witness the previous Emerald Ridge core of players, as those Jaguar teams were expected to finish in the top four each season. Those teams rose to the occasion, closing with a runner-up finish at Saint Martin’s University last season.

But this team? It wasn’t expected to make too much noise.

“We expect a top-four finish each year,” McGivern admitted of his team’s standards. “We put that expectations on ourselves, and we work to accomplish those goals each year.”

So for Emerald Ridge, the state finish was right on course — if not slightly ahead of schedule.

“We just communicated a lot a talked about every play (and) played every point with a lot of energy,” Jaden Mullen said. “We wanted to prove to people that we could make it back.”

Starting something

A tough start to the tournament was what the Jaguars needed when they faced Central Valley. Not knowing much about the Bears put the young Jaguars in a bind early.

After taking the first game 25-22, Emerald Ridge dropped the next two games (25-27 and 15-25) and found itself facing elimination early.

“We took that match to five (games) … some people considered that to be an upset win,” Jordan Loucks said.

Emerald Ridge fired back and finished off Central Valley in five games before meeting a familiar foe in the quarterfinals: Puyallup.

“We played Puyallup four times this year already. We knew what to expect from them,” Taylor Templman said.

After finishing off the Vikings with a 3-0 sweep, Emerald Ridge only had one giant task preventing them from reaching the finals.

State of shock

When top-ranked West Valley of Yakima walked into their semifinal match with Emerald Ridge, the Rams’ confidence couldn’t have been higher.

After all, West Valley just ended Bellarmine Prep’s three-year reign the previous round. It was a daunting test for the Jaguars. Then the unexpected happened.

“Whoever is on the other side of the court, just don’t focus on them,” Kava Durr said of Emerald Ridge’s mindset heading into the semifinals. “Just keep playing how you’ve been playing.”

From the start of the match, West Valley had no answers for the energy level of Emerald Ridge, as the defensive front, led by middle-blocker Ashley Wesenberg, took the heart out of the Rams in that first set.

“That first loss threw them off — it left them shocked,” Smith said.

Emerald Ridge went on and swept West Valley to move on to the championship match for the second consecutive year. This time, it was against the team that dethroned them from their SPSL South reign: Curtis.

“Before the tournament, me and (Curtis coach) Mike (Miller) had the chance to talk, and we each said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we met in the finals?’” McGivern recalled.

And that’s what happened when the Vikings of University Place took on the Jaguars. It was role-reversal from a year ago, when Curtis was the team of potential and Emerald Ridge one of expectations.

Even though Curtis won the 4A state title in four games, Emerald Ridge is in a bright spot. The Jaguars know what their potential is, and with plenty of time, they can make more runs at the championship in the coming years.

Emerald Ridge volleyball’s new core is a championship-level squad.

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll get back there,” Bauer said. “They really matured at state, and showed that Emerald Ridge volleyball is still can be the best in the area.”

This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 10:35 AM with the headline "ER volleyball’s new core reaches potential in getting to 4A final."