Saints celebrate sophomore night on eve of playoffs

Emotions started to ramp up plenty early as the Saints volleyball team got ready for their final home match of the 2022 season, against the Clark Penguins on Nov. 4.

And there was still plenty of excitement to come.

By 5:30 p.m., before the 6 p.m. contest, Mt. Hood players warmed up and took selfies on the bench while spectators began showing up – mainly parents and families bringing flowers and balloons to support the Saints and cheer them on one final time at MHCC before most would go their separate ways, athletically.

It was Sophomore Night in the gym. In fact, due to COVID-driven extended eligibility, there were many “Super Sophomores” finishing up a third season of playing for Mt. Hood. All this, against metro rival Clark College, of Vancouver, Washington, and with a potential spot in the Northwest Athletic Conference Championship Tournament on the line.

Mt. Hood had the opening serve in the first set of the best-of-five sets match. They took the early lead and then the Penguins fought back and got a lead of their own, but it didn’t last long. The Saints regained the lead and never lost it, winning 25-18. Super-sophomore Grace Ormiston contributed in her final home game by planting a couple of devastating spikes.

The second set started much the same. Mt. Hood jumped out early but then both sides would exchange complaints with the game officials. The Saints went on a a huge run, causing Clark to take a timeout and regroup. The Penguins started to inch closer but the Saints held on for a 25-22 win. Super-sophomore Josie Jansen had a couple of slams at the net to help her team put the hurt on, and for her to leave her final mark at Hood.

With the Saints up by two sets, fans were energized. Even Barney, the Mt. Hood mascot, was involved in the fun, dancing with little ones and sitting on the Saints’ bench cheering on the players. It looked like Clark might avoid the shutout, going on a run of their own, but after a timeout the Saints started to come back. After a few more harsh words for the officials, and some harsh spikes by Mt. Hood sophomore Orianna Levasa, Mt. Hood grabbed the late lead and stole the third set, 25-22, to win the contest in straight sets.

The Saints began to celebrate with each other after the hard-fought win, as families gathered to hand them flowers and other gifts to show their pride. A few player awards were given, and sendoffs for the sophomores – then, news from the scorer’s table: the announcement, “I have just received word from the NWAC, Mt. Hood (has) made the playoffs.”

Emotions soared again, as the Saints found out their season was not over just yet.

In fact, the team would hit the road just hours later, thanks to a three-way tie for the fourth and final championship bracket slot from the South Region between the Saints; the Umpqua Community College Riverhawks; and the Rogue Community College Ospreys.

First stop was Roseburg on Saturday afternoon, where Mt. Hood thumped the Riverhawks, 3 sets to 1. That meant a Sunday showdown farther down the road in Medford with the Ospreys, who had dropped their last four previous matches. The Saints took the first two hard-won sets, 27-25 and 25-22, but then dropped back-to-back sets, 25-18 each. And Rogue snared the decisive fifth set, 15-10. The heartbreaker oddly mirrored a 3-2 loss just three weeks earlier, also played in Medford, after the Saints took the first two sets that day also.

But the play-in/playoff loss couldn’t dampen the memories Mt. Hood teammates had made for life, before they moved on to their next individual journeys.

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