Rainier High School volleyball head coach Carrie Ooms and the team’s seniors stressed the importance of communication on the court all offseason.
In their season opener Monday, Sept. 9, against Seton Catholic, the Mountaineers were loud from the moment the ball went up to serve until it hit the court. The upgraded communication was part of a well-rounded performance from the Mountaineers in their 3-1 victory over the 1A Cougars at home.
“It’s something that we’ve been working on at practice. Fortunately, they’ve been on it themselves, holding each other accountable as far as communication goes,” Ooms said. “You could see where we weren’t communicating is where our weaknesses show and where it kind of let us down.”
The Mountaineers could do no wrong in the first two sets as they blitzed their opponent out of the gate with a 15-5 run in the first set. Rainier’s emphasis on communication was evident from the tip, as senior Acacia Murphy would often yell to her teammates when the ball was about to be served on the opposite end.
The Cougars responded with eight straight points before both teams clawed to a competitive finish, with Rainier escaping the opening set, 25-23. In the second set, the Mountaineers showed flashes of dominance, with every serve by Katelyn Eckroth and Anika Plowman putting pressure on the Cougars. Eckroth especially impressed Ooms with her velocity and placement with her serves Monday night.
“Katelyn’s got a great serve. When she’s on, she’s on. This year, I’ve started telling the girls where to spot serve, and she’s done a great job,” Ooms said. “Any time I tell her, ‘Here’s where we need to go,’ that’s the spot that she aims for, and she’s right on it. She’s always one of those I can depend on.”
The Mountaineers rocked Seton Catholic in the second set, 25-13, but the pesky Cougars were tough to finish off. Seton Catholic flipped the script in the third and began to send Rainier serves that were difficult to handle, and the Cougars took the third set, 22-25.
The veteran Rainier squad looked primed to finish the game strong to start the fourth as the Mountaineers scored the first seven points to force Seton Catholic to call a timeout. They continued to add to their lead as senior Brooklynn Swenson delivered three straight aces to make it 11-3. After Rainier built a 15-8 margin, the Cougars stormed back to tie it at 20.
Throughout the night, Rainier showed a different kind of energy from last season behind its four seniors: Janess Blackburn, Murphy, Swenson and Annabelle Whiteman. When the Mountaineers scored, there was minimal celebration. When the Cougars scored, the Mountaineers weren’t fazed.
“They were great leaders on the court, not getting down on themselves. They’ve really helped everybody stay positive, bringing up the communication and stepping up where we needed it,” Ooms said of the seniors. “Last year, it was more individualized when they would get down on themselves, and it would spread to the team. This year, they’re accepting of their errors and allowing themselves to be human and just moving on. Yes, they get excited, but at the same time, they want to keep their heads with them and still continue to be competitive.”
This new collected mindset through the highs and lows against the Cougars paid off for the Mountaineers, as seniors Blackburn and Murphy helped Rainier pull away with five unanswered points to win the fourth set, 25-20. Blackburn led the team with 16 kills, while Murphy delivered seven. Swenson recorded 19 assists and Eckroth added 15. Allyson Ooms put up 13 kills and 17 digs in the 3-1 win.
Carrie Ooms said Seton Catholic was a worthy opponent for Rainier to open the 2024 season, one in which the Mountaineers have high expectations after a fourth-place finish at the state tournament last season.
“They were very persistent. They didn’t give up, and they pushed to the end. They were great competition,” Ooms said of the Cougars. “We need to make sure that we don’t let off that gas pedal when we have the momentum. We have to keep it going and we can’t get comfortable with how we’re playing.”
The Mountaineers also faced Northwest Christian for their first road contest on Tuesday, Sept. 10, but results were unavailable before press time. They will travel to Raymond-South Bend for a date with the Ravens at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12.
