Camas volleyball team goes down fighting

The Camas volleyball team couldn’t solve Emerald Ridge in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, but the Papermakers just continued to fight and wound up in sixth place.

“We were able to bring some hardware back to Camas. That was the goal,” said senior outside hitter Cassie Bailie. “We’re a good team, and we put a lot of heart into it. We don’t give up on anything.”

That’s how the Papermakers were able to push Kentwood to five sets during the medal match Saturday, at St. Martin’s University, in Lacey. Kentwood won the first two games, but Camas fought back 25-23 and 25-19 in the next two sets. Kentwood needed 16 points in the final set to beat the Papermakers by two.

“This team is notorious for getting down by a significant amount and battling back,” said Camas head coach Julie Nidick. “They just never give up. They don’t care what the score is.”

Camas defeated Mead in the first round Friday morning. After carving up the first set 25-19, the Papermakers battled back from six points down to win the second set 25-15.

“We realized this is the last tournament. It’s state,” said junior middle blocker Sophi Jacobson. “We don’t have any second chances. I think that really kicked into our minds, and we turned it around.”

The third set was tied 10-10, until senior Kathleen Brumfield came in and served five aces. Camas sealed the sweep with a 25-17 victory.

“You just have to be ready to play at any time,” Brumfield said. “This is the dedication of four years. You get to make a name for Camas.”

Lauren Harris combined nine kills with 10 digs. Jacobson scored nine kills and two blocks. Christina Elliott earned 31 assists, four aces and two kills. Bailie fired six kills and eight digs. Carly Banks gained six kills and two blocks. Abby Young had 19 digs.

“I felt like we came together really well, and we communicated and we executed,” Harris said. “This gave us confidence that we didn’t have before, but we need for the rest of the tournament.”

The Papermakers pressed Emerald Ridge several times Friday night, but they couldn’t recapture the same level of intensity they displayed in the morning. Meanwhile, the Jaguars caught fire and never relented.

“Our girls were very scrappy and they played with a great amount of heart,” Nidick said. “It just felt like a different day for them. Any time you leave and come back, you run the risk of something like that happening.”

Harris fired eight kills in the match, and Bailie added six kills and seven digs. Banks earned three blocks at the net, Elliott dished out 18 assists and Young had 13 digs.

Camas knocked off Snohomish 25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 25-23 Saturday morning. Harris delivered 16 kills, four digs and two blocks. Young added 18 digs and three aces. Elliott earned 34 assists, eight digs and one ace. Banks contributed eight kills and three digs. Jacobson had five aces, two digs and a block.