The Centralia volleyball team made its return to the postseason last year with a fourth-place finish in the 2A EvCo, hosting but losing the pigtail matchup.
Now, though they will have to replace three seniors, the Tigers return with way more experience than they had last fall.
“We actually do have quite a few back,” coach Marti Smith said. “It’s just the experience end of it, because we have a couple big holes to fill from last year. Even though we only lost three seniors, they left a big gap in what they did for us. But I’m very excited with this group of seniors.”
That group includes a couple of key newcomers, including one familiar face. Makayla Chavez, who helped lead the Tigers on the softball diamond and the basketball court the past few years, is back with the volleyball team after taking a year away from the program.
“We’re really excited to have her energy and her power,” Smith said. “Once she gets re-acclimated to the game, it’s going to be really exciting to watch her play.”
Also joining the rotation will be Mikayla Marazita, who transfers into Centralia from Lindbergh High School in Renton, where she suited up for the Eagles’ varsity squad last year as a sophomore.
On the outside, Lauren Wasson is back after earning an all-EvCo honorable mention in 2022.
“She’s as steady as they come,” Smith said. “She’s so explosive as a player, but she plays with such control, and she’s really put a lot of time into this sport.”
At the back, the Tigers bring back Gracie Schofield, returning as a senior to line up as a defensive specialist, while Peyton Baumel comes back on the right side.
And in the middle, they’re turning to a pair of setters to replace Peyton Smith, who ran Centralia’s 5-1 system while also setting the program record for aces. Mckenna Smith steps into her sister’s shoes as a sophomore, joining up with Selah Calkins to lead the 6-2.
“They’re mirror-images of each other in terms of personalities, very quiet,” Marti Smith said. “They’re going to have to take on a new role of being vocal.”
Smith acknowledged that her side wouldn’t be the tallest in the 2A EvCo this year, putting the Tigers a step short at the net. But all that returning experience both at the net and on defense could balance the scales.
And with the league looking like it could stay wide open all the way down to the wire, the experience the Tigers now have in high-stakes games could weigh even more on their side.
“It’s not just that every game is going to count,” Smith said. “Every set is going to count because I can absolutely see the possibility of tiebreakers having to be used. It’s going to just be ‘Who shows up to play that night?’ So I think it’s anyone’s game really.”
Centralia is set to open its season Sept. 5, at home against 1A Eatonville.
