Girls sports thriving at Curtis High School. Can volleyball, soccer both win state titles?
Girls sports are having a moment at Curtis High School in University Place.
Last weekend, the girls swim and dive team took second place at the Class 4A state championship meet. There’s an uptick in participation in girls wrestling and girls flag football, offered in the winter.
The girls soccer team beat league rival Sumner last week to advance to this Friday’s 4A state tournament semifinal round. And the volleyball team is undefeated and just won the 4A District 3/4 title, not dropping a single set in clean-sweep wins over Union, Tahoma, Puyallup and Kennedy Catholic. The Vikings enter this weekend’s 4A state volleyball tournament in Yakima as the No. 1 overall seed.
That’s a lot of success across the board. It’s a source of pride for the school’s community.
“We’ve just got a lot of talented kids, I would say,” said volleyball outside hitter Avery Cukjati, who was recently named the 4A SPSL offensive MVP. “The drive that we have and the atmosphere at Curtis, everyone is very driven and we kind of create that message, ‘You get rewarded for what you work for.’”
The success starts at the top, according to girls soccer coach Frank Hankel.
“(Athletic director) Suzanne Vick, it starts with her,” Hankel said. “And our principal Tom Adams. They do a great job supporting athletics, instilling it’s not just about winning, it’s about building good people. … Suzanne does a ton for our women’s programs. She invests a ton of time, effort and energy.”
The attention and praise for girls sports is something volleyball coach Taylor Bautista notices and appreciates.
“I’d start by contributing that to Suzanne,” she said. “There’s a really good focus on women’s sports and giving them a shoutout on social media and stuff, making it just as important as the guys’ sports.”
STATE TITLE HUNT
Whatever the recipe is at Curtis, it’s working. The girls soccer team is 16-2-2 and just avenged its loss to Sumner from the district championship game, beating the Spartans 1-0 in the state tournament quarterfinals.
“That felt so great,” said defender Ivy Korbal, a TNT All-Area pick last year. “It was a huge deal. The last championship game in districts, we lost, and we just wanted that payback.”
Hoku Mose scored the game-winning goal off a corner kick from teammate Olivia Lorella to lift the Vikings over the Spartans in the second overtime period, 1-0. It has Curtis two wins away from the state championship at Sparks Stadium this weekend.
“This team is special because all the girls just love each other so much and we all just want to play for each other and as a team.”
Sophia Mayne leads the Vikings with 17 goals this year. Curtis has been particularly good on defense this season, conceding just eight total goals.
“Everybody’s bought into it,” Hankel said. “We really pride ourselves on shutouts. … Not giving up any goals the first couple rounds (of state) is really hard to do. Everyone’s a defender, from our center forward to our center back.
Everyone just buys into the concept of defending, covering each other. It’s an attitude.”
The volleyball team has been even more dominant this fall, entering the state tournament with a flawless 23-0 record.
“The connection and bond we have with each other, it’s so special this year,” said Cukjati, who is a Santa Clara beach volleyball commit. “I think everyone just deserves and wants to be here, which makes it more special.”
Bautista said it’s the deepest team she’s coached at Curtis.
“It’s not just one or two solid girls (this year),” she said. “Every single girl contributes in their own way. We’re very diverse in the talent that we have and we can rely on every single girl.”
Could both teams come home with state championship trophies this weekend? Anything can happen.
“I fully, 100 percent believe that we will come and take this championship this year,” Cukjati said. “Everyone is just so dialed and ready.”
