Auburn Mountainview volleyball can do battle on and off the court

Listen to the Auburn Mountainview High School volleyball team getting ready for a match, and instead of team chants you’ll typically hear R&B or country lyrics.

On the court, the Lions of the Class 3A South Puget Sound League are serious competitors. But beforehand, the players — and their coach — go head-to-head in lip-sync battles.

“I’m a terrible singer,” said second-year coach Telia Peterson. “But any time a Beyoncé song comes on, I can sing it.”

A year after finishing with a 15-4 record in the 3A SPSL, a league that includes rival Auburn Riverside, which capped off a 36-0 season in 2014 with the state championship, Peterson and her team are determined to sing all the way to the postseason.

“I know what to expect this year,” Peterson said. “I am excited every time we get on the floor.”

Having graduated just one senior, Peterson said this tight-knit group has depth and hitters with the ability to play in multiple positions.

Among the standouts are junior outside hitter Kiley Lewis, who has made a verbal commitment to Boise State, senior middle hitter Ali Davenport, who holds an offer from Western Washington, and her sister, Casey, a junior setter. Lewis was a first-team all-league selection in 2014, while the Davenports were named to the second team.

“I think we have a lot of power,” Peterson said. “A lot of girls hitting from different places on the court.”

Team captain Ali Davenport said that versatility gives the team confidence that they can get back to state a year after snapping an eight-season streak of tournament appearances.

“Coming back from last year with pretty much the same players, I feel like we have a lot of potential to get far,” she said.

The Lions do strength training using techniques Peterson has learned from her fiancé, who is a strength and conditioning coach for the University of Washington football team.

“They like that part,” she said. “They know it’s going to help them as athletes.”

Lewis said the team is doing everything it can to put itself in position for a state run.

“We’re taking it game by game, improving every day at practice,” she said. “I feel really confident. I think this season is going to be really good.”

And entertaining, too.

“It’s good team bonding,” Lewis said of the lip-sync battles, in which she is likely to channel her inner Nicki Minaj. “It gets our minds going and gets us pumped up for the game.”

To remind them of their ultimate goal, Peterson hung a map of Washington in the gym. She got the idea from a book by Joel Osteen that discusses working toward something you see.

The visual appears to be working.

“It reminds us daily what we’re working for,” Davenport said. “It keeps it in perspective.”

Peterson said her team must learn to handle adversity in order to be successful.

“Can we handle that on the court — being able to compete the whole time through the whole game?” she said. “Teams get in a little roller coaster as they play, and we want to stay consistent.”

If they can do that, the Lions could go far.

“Getting to state is one of those stepping stones,” Peterson said, “but ultimately winning (a title) — that would just be amazing.”

Davenport said she has yet to settle on a song for her impending lip-sync battle — she’s mulling over “something older that everyone knows” — but is adamant about one thing.

“State is the big picture,” she said. “I know we all want it a lot.”

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 12:04 AM with the headline "Auburn Mountainview volleyball can do battle on and off the court."