On Friday, November 7th, the 3rd ranked Jesuit Women’s volleyball team took on the 11th ranked Oregon City in the 6A quarterfinals hosted at Forest Grove High School. Jesuit came out strong, sweeping Oregon City in 3 straight sets.
The 1st set opened with an even performance from both teams trading points before Jesuit began to widen the gap to win the set 25-17.
Oregon City put up a strong performance during the 2nd set but ultimately Jesuit consistency and discipline helped them secure a 25-20. The final set ended 25-14..
Senior Iman Foster was injured part way through the season but played a vital role in motivating the team from the bench.
“The motivation for our team this year is to work together to get a three-peat because it’s never been done before and our team is so close. So there’s no better group to do it with” said Foster.
Later that night, Jesuit faced South Salem in a highly anticipated semifinal matchup stretching five intense sets and lasting just under two hours. Sadie Ross’s powerful hits helped Jesuit snag the first set 25-14 but South Salem quickly responded by winning the next two.
She “saw a lot of growth in the team from the beginning of the season till that game” and knew they had more to give.
South Salem's relentless determination to keep every ball alive granted success in the next two sets. Their outside hitters, Briella Mathis and Avery Herber, were the focal point of their offense, delivering powerful hits. South Salem won the second set 25-21 before using their momentum to win a close third set 29-27.
Leaving Jesuit with their hope to reclaim their state title for the third year in a row on the line. Having the late night time slot prompted small student sections leaving it up to the players to motivate themselves.
Outside hitter and captain Jada Johnson says that “The whole time we had been saying that the tournament was in our hands and we knew we needed to believe in ourselves and all the hard work we put in to beat South Salem as they were a good team. For the next two sets we really worked well together to compete as best as possible and finish the match and we were able to.”
Jesuit’s setter Zola Zuccolo found her connection with outside hitter Sadie Ross to win the fourth set 25-18 with some strong hits. Finally, securing with a 15-9 win. Jesuit made the comeback and stamped their ticket to the championship game.
The next evening, Jesuit faced the number one ranked Sprague in the 6A championship at 8:30 p.m.. Both teams were backed by enthusiastic student sections motivating them throughout the match.
Sprague came out the gate with a strong performance. Their sharp and well-placed hits proved to give Jesuit’s backrow a bit of a challenge. Sprague won the first set 25-22.
Jesuit answered in the second set as Zuccolo and Johnson found their set-to-hit rhythm and made a distinct comeback. Jesuit put up a strong fight to gain their momentum back and win the second set 25-9.
Sprague battled back and forth as outside hitter Emma Brewer serving up numerous kills in the fourth set giving Sprague an extra edge. Leading them to win the fourth set 25-20.
With Sprague still in it, fans were on the edge of their seats seeing as the game could go either way. Senior spectator Paige Barsotti ‘26 said that “The energy in the room was high. Both student sections were competing back and forth through chants.” Student sections for both sides were amped up wanting to see their school take the trophy home.
After much back and forth in long intense rallies and powerful exchanges, Zuccolo had the last serve to win the game. Both sides competed hard for every ball. The evenly matched teams proved a nail-biting game.
Shortly after, OSAA presented the post-game awards. Ross, presented with a unanimous choice first-team all-tournament selection. In the final game she totaled 25 kills followed closely by Johnson's 21 kills.
Ross comments that “It was an honor to be a part of [this team]. Making history was just the icing on the cake.”
Jesuit’s journey through the tournament showcased their resilience and chemistry. Leading Jesuit to their 11th Volleyball State Championship win and 200th State Championship win for Jesuit.
