The Rainier High School volleyball team is rolling heading into the final stretch of the regular season. The Mountaineers swept Winlock High School in a road conference match on Tuesday, Oct. 10 and followed it up with a sweep of Kalama High School in a home conference match on Thursday, Oct. 12.
The Mountaineers (8-3, 3-1 C2BL) dominated Winlock 25-16, 25-13, 25-9, and they defeated Kalama 25-20, 25-15, 25-16.
With three straight sweeps under their belt, the Mountaineers entered the Adna Invitational with confidence.
“We’re playing some of the teams that we’ve never seen before,” head coach Carrie Ooms said ahead of last weekend’s tournament. “I’m really excited to see the competition that’s out there and to get to play against some different teams.”
The field consisted of Rainier, Adna, Napavine, Granger, Goldendale, Hoquiam, Ilwaco and Naselle. The Mountaineers finished fourth overall in the tournament that featured four teams ranked in the WIAA Top 10 RPI rankings for the Central 2B League as of Oct. 11, including Rainier at No. 9.
For Rainier to compete for the league title and beyond, it will need to defeat the best teams in the league. Three of the Mountaineers’ final four matches of the regular season are against conference opponents with winning records, including 12-0 Adna and 10-2 Napavine.
“I just hope that they stick with it in the last stretch of the season,” Ooms said. “Don’t give up, and keep the momentum going. Even if we do get behind, don’t give up. Just keep pushing all the way to the end.”
Rainier faced Morton-White Pass in a road conference match on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Results were not available as of press time. The Mountaineers are slated to face Napavine (10-2, 4-1 C2BL) in a marquee conference match at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19.
