Volleyball Season Heats Up Quickly With Battles of the Beardslees Between Colville and Northport

The volleyball season officially hit high gear on Sept. 8 as Colville and Northport squared off in an instant classic. The Crimson Hawks showed how dangerous they can be on the attack, while Northport proved it’s one of the 1B programs to keep an eye out this year with a 25-20, 24-26, 22- 25, 25-22, and 15-7 victory. Family members Georgia Beardslee and Kate Beardslee squared off on opposite sides of the net and combined for 41 kills in the matchup.

Kate Beardslee led the Mustangs with 21 kills, while Brooklyn Wilson had 21 assists, and Lie- sel Stark notched four aces. Northport found it- self down 2-1 in sets but extended the evening and surged past the Crimson Hawks in the final set. Beardslee also put in a spirited defense for the Mustangs against the 1A Crimson Hawk offense, notching 12 digs.

Colville was led by the electric and sometimes downright aggressive offense of Georgia Beardslee who notched 20 kills, while Katie Roy dished out 26 assists. Roy also anchored the back with 11 digs. Beardslee was also a power at the net with three blocks. “Katie has been doing a great job running our of- fense and consistently putting the ball right where our hitters have the best opportunity to put it away,” Colville Head Coach Michawn Vining said. “She has also really stepped up as a leader on the court, taking charge in several matches and helping keep the team organized and focused. One area she is continuing to work on is being more vocal on the court, which will help reduce miscommunication and make an already strong connection between her and her teammates even better.”

Mustangs Win Against Chewelah

Two days later, Northport played another higher-classification opponent in 2B Chewelah and bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit to win 24-26, 25-21, 25-23, and 25-17. Beardslee again posted a double-double with 20 kills, 23 digs, and two blocks. Wilson added 11 assists and Stark brought the heat from the service stripe with seven aces. Chewelah freshman setter Harper Church had 26 assists while Bella Klemish had six aces and Bella Turner bricked up six blocks. Lilliana Cavazos helped key the Cougar offense and defense with 12 kills and 16 digs for a double-double as well.

“They have a lot of energy and they’re starting to learn how to work through mistakes instead of letting one mistake turn into three or four,” Chewelah Head Coach Melissa Church said. “I’ve also been really impressed with how well this group gets along. They genuinely support each other and I think that’s going to be really important as the season goes on we still have a lot to learn, but there’s a lot of potential with this group.” Chewelah was swept by Northport last year, but put up a much more spirited fight this season, showing a lot of growth. “Last year there were times when we struggled to sustain our offense and we’d give teams too many easy opportunities this time our girls showed that they could play with Northport,” Church said. “Taking a set was great, but I was probably more encouraged that there were stretches throughout the match where we were making them work for the points.”

Colville Takes Down 2A East Valley

Colville picked up its first win of the season on Sept. 10, taking down 2A East Valley in five sets by scores of 25-14, 21- 25, 23-25, 25-15, and 15-13. It was the second five-set game of the week for the Crimson Hawks and this time they came out on top. Part of the team’s strength in the matchup was their play at the net as three different players – Taya Kinney, Beardslee, and Aubree Kubesh each notched five blocks. “We are learning how to finish strong in matches, and that is a skill that athletes truly have to learn,” Vining said. “You can practice skills all day, but learning how to stay composed, make good decisions, and execute when the match is on the line comes from experience.” Vining said that is why the East Valley match was such a huge success. “We were able to put ourselves in a position to win and then finish the match strong,” Vining said.

“Those experiences are so valuable for this team. We have faced some tough competition in our non-league schedule, and we have been right there in all of those matches. I am really excited about having such a rigorous schedule because these close, competitive matches are going to challenge us, expose the areas we need to improve, and ultimately help prepare us for league play and beyond.” Roy was again solid for the Crimson Hawks with six aces and 18 assists, while Beardslee again led the attack with 13 kills. “Georgia led the team in kills against Northport, and when East Valley started keying in on her and putting up a strong block, she found ways to adjust and still be effective,” Vining said. “She used line shots, different angles, and different sets to find ways around the block and continue putting pressure on their defense. Her ability to recognize what the other team is doing and make adjustments is a huge part of her success.” Amika Neuneker was prowling the backline, collecting 15 digs for Colville.

Colville Falls To Omak

The Crimson Hawks wrapped up a busy week of volleyball with a 25-18, 28-26, and 26-24 loss to Omak where the Crimson Hawks were right there in most sets but couldn’t break through for a set win on the road on Saturday, Sept. 12. “We had some opportunities in Omak to win sets, but unfortunately, we just couldn’t quite finish when those opportunities presented themselves,” Vining said. “While that was frustrating, there were some things I was really excited to see from our athletes. Our players were swinging hard and playing without hesitation.

That is a big improvement from some of our earlier matches, where we were tipping or sending free balls over rather than attacking. Vining added that seeing the team trust their swings and be aggressive, even against tough competition, was exciting to see. “We are continuing to learn how to capitalize on those opportunities and finish sets, but the progress in our aggressiveness and confidence is a great step in the right direction,” she said. Kubesh led the Crimson Hawks with six kills and four aces, while Roy added 10 assists. Kinney again was in the way of opposing teams’ attacks with six blocks, while Neuneker and Andrea Edwards collected seven digs.

“Another cool thing about our match with Omak was that all of our athletes stepped up and played well,” Vining said. “It has been so exciting to see new stat leaders emerge and watch different players contribute in meaningful ways. That kind of depth is so important for our team, and it shows that everyone has a role to play in our success. Seeing athletes gain confidence and make an impact when their opportunity comes is one of the most exciting parts of this season. It doesn’t get easier for the Crimson Hawks, who played an undefeated Tonasket team on Tuesday, but results were not available at press time.

This weekend they will head to the Ephrata Tournament followed by the Sheridan Classic next weekend. “I’m excited for the opportunities these tournaments will give us to try some different things and see how different lineups, rotations, and plays work together,” Vining said. “With so many matches packed into a short amount of time, I think these tournaments will give us valuable opportunities to grow, learn, and continue figuring out what works best for our team as we move forward.”

Chewelah Defeats Republic in Five

It went down to the wire, but the Cougars earned every bit of their 25-21, 22-25, 24-26, 25-22, and 17-15 victory against Republic on Saturday, Sept. 12. “The biggest positive that was that we didn’t quit,” Head Coach Melissa Church said. “There were a lot of long rallies, but both teams were fighting to keep balls alive.” “Our girls could have let [set losses] get to them, instead they came back and won the fourth and then battled all the way to 17-15 in the fifth,” Church said. “I was really proud of that.” Cavazos was a power again for Chewelah, notching 12 kills and dishing out seven aces from the service stripe. Freshman Maddie Autrey stood strong in the face of Republic’s attacks, notching 17 digs, while Harper Church directed the offense with 26 assists.

“We’ve had contributions from a lot of different girls, which has been really encouraging,” Church said. “Liliana has been a big offensive presence for us against Republic. Harper has stepped into a big role, running our offense and had 26 this Saturday. Defensively Maddie [Autrey] had 17 digs and Savannah [Acosta] had 14. Savannah also had a really efficient night offensively for us and Bella Turner gave us eight kills and five aces so it hasn’t really been one player carrying us.” Church also pointed out that Cavazos is only a freshman and is showing she is ready to take on a big role for the team. “She’s talented but what I’ve liked just as much is that she wants to compete,” Church said. Chewelah improved to 1-2 on the year after falling to Selkirk in three sets on Sept. 8.

Kettle Falls Opens Season 2-0

Kettle Falls made the most of their two games last week. The Bulldogs defeated Republic 25-23, 17-25, 17-25, 25-23, and 15-4 on Sept. 8 and then followed that up with a 29-27, 25-23, and 25-19 victory over Upper Columbia Academy on Sept. 9. “Our girls worked together and were open to trying multiple lineups to figure out what works best for us as a team,” Kettle Falls Head Coach MaKayla Thompson said after Sept. 8’s win. Sawyer Woodbury led the Bulldogs with six kills, while Heira Palumbo powered four aces over the net. Cambria Thivierge was key on offense with 14 assists while Heira Palumbo collected nine digs. Kendall Nissen had two blocks at the net for the Bulldogs as well.

“Our team was supportive and picked each other up during challenges and when we got ourselves into holes,” Thompson said. “I was very proud of how they came back in the fourth and fifth sets. Great resiliency and team chemistry as the match went on.” Against Upper Columbia Academy, Kettle Falls had to continue to have resiliency despite the sweep since the first two sets were close affairs. Thivierge led the Bulldogs on offense with seven kills while Kylie Lister had 10 assists. Wyn Edwards anchored the defense with eight digs, and Palumbo did work on the service stripe with six aces. Nissen was again a power at the net with three blocks. Kettle Falls moves to 2-0 for the first time since 2023.

Springdale Continues Unbeaten Streak

The Chargers, counting the three-set matches at the Quartzite Tournament in Chewelah, have won seven straight matchups and don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The Chargers wrapped up the week with a four-set victory over Cusick on Sept. 10 in NE 1B play. Kaylin Gines led the Chargers with 19 kills and a whopping 86% hitting percentage against the Panthers. Springdale took the sets 25-12, 24-26, 25-9, and 25-10 to move to 3-0 in full matches and 2-0 in league play. Kazlin Rainer was accurate on the service stripe, collecting 13 aces – the most seen in a Northeastern Washington volleyball match this season. Gines and Rainer also combined for four blocks. On defense, Gines had 11 digs while Trinity Farnsworth and Kamryn Cloninger each had eight. Cloninger also had 11 assists in the matchup, as did Ashlynn Ford.

Springdale made quick work of Curlew on Sept. 9 – sweeping them 25-7, 25-15, and 25-11. Ford notched eight kills in the matchup, while Rainer added six kills, and Mckinley Schroeder had five. Springdale kept Curlew under pressure from the service line, piling up 15 aces. Rainer led the team with four aces, while Farnsworth had 15 digs. Cloninger finished the game with 14 assists, while Ford had 11. Springdale opened the season on Sept. 8 against league power Almira/Coulee-Hartline High School and downed them in four sets, 25-19, 25-15, 24-26, and 25-16. Gines posted a double-double with 23 kills and 18 digs, Cloninger had 24 assists. Rainer did work with 12 kills, four aces, and two blocks in the matchup. The digs were spread around the team, with Emily Small posting 15 digs, Ford and Cloninger having 12, and Farnsworth notching 11.