THE WEEK AHEAD: Fall Sports

VOLLEYBALL
■ No. 2 Pleasant Hill travels to No. 14 Siuslaw in its final regular season game. The Billies are on a 12-match win streak, and have guaranteed themselves a first-round playoff game on Wednesday. As of now however, the team will first host the Mountain Valley Conference playoffs on Saturday, which decides the 2-4 seeds in the MVC. Pleasant Hill will be a scary matchup for anyone thanks to star sophomores Cheyenne Green, Emily Krauss and Claire Crawford.
■ No. 5 Creswell hosts Elmira tonight to finish its regular season. The Bulldogs will most likely have a home game for the first round of the playoffs next Wednesday, but first must play in the Mountain Valley Conference playoffs on Saturday, which as of now will be held at Pleasant Hill. Whoever Creswell faces in the postseason, it’ll need big performances from stars Lizabelle Osborn and Kimberlee Kelsey.
■ No. 12 Thurston and Springfield host doubleheaders on Saturday. The Colts and Millers both welcome No. 14 Eagle Point and No. 5 Crater. The games are huge matchups in a hotly-contested Midwestern League title race that Thurston, Eagle Point, and Crater are all still vying for.
■ Cottage Grove finished its regular season with a home game on Tuesday against No. 9 Marist. The Lions now play the waiting game to see which team they will travel to face in the play-in game Tuesday.
BOYS SOCCER
■ No. 10 Springfield hosts No. 12 Crater at Hamlin on Saturday before traveling to face North Eugene on Tuesday. The Millers have been led all year by captain Jacobo Contreras Benitez, and Benitez will need to step up big against Crater.
■ No. 18 Cottage Grove has its final game at home against No. 17 Marist. A win for the Lions could give them a home play-in game in nine days time.
■ No. 19 Pleasant Hill has a make-up game Monday against La Pine in what will be the Billies senior night.
■ Creswell travels to face Elmira in its last game. As the Bulldogs are already eliminated from playoff contention, they will want to end on a high note.
■ Thurston has improved a lot this season under first-year head coach Jake Bonnett, but still sits just outside the playoffs. The Colts have two big league games this week, at home against No. 11 Ashland and away at Churchill.
GIRLS SOCCER
■ No. 4 Thurston has won five of its past six, but has a huge game Saturday against No. 2 Ashland in a game that will put the winner in the driver’s seat for the Midwestern Crown.
■ No. 8 Springfield hit a roadblock last week against Thurston, but looks to bounce back this week at home against Crater on Saturday. The Millers then go to No. 5 North Eugene on Wednesday in a rematch of a game that Springfield won earlier in the season 1-0.
■ No. 9 Pleasant Hill has its final game of the season Monday, a senior-night game against La Pine. A win for the Billies could secure them a home game in the first round of the postseason.
■ Cottage Grove hosts No. 2 Marist in its last game of the year. The Lions aren’t technically eliminated from the playoffs, but will need lots of help and an upset over Marist to make it.
■ Creswell travels to No. 5 Central Linn on Friday before hosting a make-up game against Elmira on Monday. The Bulldogs sit just outside the postseason bubble, but control their own destiny if they upset Central Linn.