State champions are no match for Camas volleyball

The Camas volleyball team blew the reining 3A state champions out of their own building Sept. 17, at Prairie High School.

“This is never an easy place to play,” said head coach Julie Nidick. “There’s a Camas-Prairie rivalry that goes beyond league. This team has a lot of heart.”

The Papermakers took the first set 25-21, and rallied back to tie the second set and force overtime. A questionable out-of-bounds call was ruled in favor of the Falcons and they were awarded the second set 27-25.

“That game kind of lit our fire and made us want the win even more than before,” said senior Lauren Harris. “Each point is a new point. We just put the past behind us and we better the ball on every touch.”

Camas didn’t back down. It was just the spark the Papermakers needed. They dominated the next two sets 25-12 and 25-9 to seal the victory.

“I think they totally rose to the challenge,” Nidick said. “We’ve all been in the same book, just not on the right chapter. Those girls all got on the same page in that third and fourth set. They were clicking on all cylinders.”

Harris handed out 21 kills, 9 digs and 5 aces. Sophi Jacobson delivered 9 kills and 3 blocks. Cassie Bailey added 9 kills and 7 digs. Tina Elliott earned 47 assists and 5 digs. Abby Young had 20 digs and 3 aces.

“We stuck together to play an amazing match and showed what we can do,” Harris said. “I’ll remember how we came together as a team and how it felt to come back strong after that second set. We should be able to use that as motivation the next time we’re in that situation later in the season.”

Camas defeated Hudson’s Bay 25-10, 25-9 and 25-15 Thursday, in Camas.The Papermakers also placed ninth out of 30 teams at the Kent Invitational Saturday.

Camas goes to Columbia River today. The match begins at 7 p.m.