Volleyball Season Wrap Up
By Dylan Hersha, The Commuter
“Amazing, unbelievable. I'm speechless.”
That’s how LBCC’s Volleyball Head Coach Jayme Frazier described her team’s perfect season after the Roadrunners became champions of the Northwest Athletic Conference for the third consecutive year.
A brilliant performance capped off the team’s season in the Elite Eight tournament in Lakewood, Washington Nov. 17-19. The Roadrunners’ championship season was fantastic in many ways, the most impressive being their 36-0 record. In 36 games, the team lost only 15 sets, winning the other 108. 25 of their 36 wins were 3-0 sweeps.
Four LBCC freshmen were selected for the NWAC’s all-region awards ahead of the Elite Eight. Outside hitters Brooklyn Willard and Maddy Hellem earned first team honors. Libero Kinsey Brelage earned second team honors along with setter Meah Carley earning third team honors. Sophomore middle blocker Grace Boeder was named the NWAC South’s MVP.
The Roadrunners entered the tournament as the favorites, sitting atop the South Region with a perfect 33-0 record. On Friday, Nov. 17, the team came in hot and ran through Skagit Valley 3-0. In the Final Four on day two, LBCC played Highline College, who proved to be a tough opponent. Linn-Benton eventually prevailed, winning 3-2 in what was only the fourth time the Roadrunners went five sets all year.
“We practice those types of things so that we get to this very moment and it's nothing new. We talk about poise under pressure and keeping our composure,” Frazier said after the close victory against Highline. “Point by point, set by set, match by match, making sure our attitude and our effort are at one hundred percent, that's what got us this far.”
On Sunday, Nov. 19, the team arrived for their matchup against North Idaho College for the championship. Before the match, freshman setter Meah Carley said, “It's going to be a battle, they're a great team. I'm excited.”
The first set proved an immediate challenge, with North Idaho taking the back-and-forth matchup to go up 1-0. After the brief reset, the Roadrunners came out in the second set in their usual dominant form, winning it 25-16. The momentum stayed in favor of LB as they took set three 25-19 before capping it off with a 25-12 victory in the fourth set to win the title.
Boeder was awarded the Elite Eight tournament MVP after the win. After the trophy ceremony, Boeder said, “It feels so surreal. I'm very grateful for all the opportunities and just getting to play with this amazing team.”
Frazier earned the South Region’s Coach of the Year award. This marks Coach Frazier’s third straight NWAC title and first undefeated season, now with a 102-3 overall record in the past three years.
Frazier explained what set this group apart from the competition this season: “They just bought into what we were selling. … They really stuck to the one point, one set, one match, one mission. I know other teams were solid but they were just consistent the entire year.”
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