Sports
PHS boys volleyball team competes in 1st tournament
The Philomath High School boys volleyball team played in its first-ever tournament Saturday with a trip to West Salem.
The Warriors finished fourth in morning pool play and were placed in the “bronze bracket” for an afternoon matchup against McNary.
“We struggled in the morning and couldn’t create any consistent play,” PHS coach Helen Bennett said. “Part of that was playing against good 5A and 6A teams but when we struggle in serving and give them free points, it makes the opponent’s job easier. We found our energy and better play in the afternoon.”
McNary took the first set over the Warriors but Philomath won the next two sets to take the match.
“Jaxon Allen came in the second set and served tough to lead the team as we went on a seven-point run to finish the set,” Bennett said. “We had all the momentum and that carried us into the decisive third set.”
The win moved PHS forward into the bronze bracket’s finale against West Salem. The Titans, playing on their home court, won in two sets.
“West Salem was both fun and challenging to play against as they have some talented players,” Bennett said. “We had some highlights of great defensive plays that led to some offensive kills.”
Bennett said a highlight of the tournament occurred during a one-hour delay in between pool and bracket play
“Players from all different teams mixed together to play ‘Queen of the Court,’ which is a 3-on-3 game,” Bennett said. “Our boys mixed in, too, and had fun and made friends. It was cool to see and what to me playing volleyball is all about — creating friendships, camaraderie and having a whole bunch of fun.”
Philomath (9-4) will get back into league play Tuesday with a home tripleheader against Marshfield (3:30 p.m.), North Bend (5 p.m.) and Newport (7 p.m.).