CRESWELL – The Creswell and Pleasant Hill communities have become uniquely intertwined due to their spirited rivalry on the volleyball court these days.
From Anna Baltrusch – who’s one of the most-decorated high school girls volleyball coaches in Oregon, with a powerful athletic lineage of daughters and granddaughters – to coach Jessica Crawford’s “Dynamic Duo” in the Billies’ Claire Crawford and Cheyenne Green.
What’s the unpublished secret to this bounty of talent that radiates from these two schools? And how are they going to build on their reputation and excitement from previous years in 2024?
Last year, the Billies finished their season at 24-4 – the most wins in program history – with three losses coming to Sisters and one to Class 5A 5th-place finisher Crater. Their third loss to the Outlaws made them second in the state.
Jessica Crawford and the Pleasant Hill Billies. CHRONICLE ARCHIVE PHOTO
This year, however, the Billies are unbothered by their state-champion rival. Only two players graduated from the Billies last year and all six starters are scheduled to return.
Beginning today with the inaugural North Star Volleyball Jamboree at Springfield High School, fans will get their first looks at standouts who include Cheyenne Green, Claire Crawford, Emily Krauss, Ruby Jackson and Anna Crawford. The Billies juxtapose Sisters’ loss of six star players – four of whom were all-league.
Pleasant Hill intends to capitalize on this transition. Although the Outlaws remain a principal competitor, the Billies have their radar on Valley Catholic this year instead.
Jessica Crawford is still stressing the importance of last season and how it fostered the team’s drive for this season.
“I think last year was a very important season,” she said. “But at the same time, we have a majority of those from that team back, and so of course the girls have different and very achievable, yet challenging goals for themselves this year. The nice part about that is that they’re finding their balance to make sure that they know that they need to earn it. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into that. There’s a lot of hard work that went into last season, and I think they’re ready to do that again this year.”
Overall, Crawford has an optimistic outlook for the Billies 2024 team, with many returning veterans setting a positive tone. Crawford also highlights there’s new players as well that have been “folding together into the team nicely”; it’s not just the veteran stars.
At the historic Sisters match last year, Crawford noted that Sisters had “the most offensive weapons that they’ve played.” It was difficult for the Billies at the time, and “adding a balanced offense” was something the team had been discussing.
Crawford already has observed improvement in this area this year.
“The players that we had last year have worked really hard in the offseason,” Crawford said. “You can see that they’ve improved. And then we have a couple of other players that are new to us. One of which is really good in the middle. So we got another asset there, and then we have another player who’s really stepping up in another role offensively. So I’m not saying that we don’t have work to do – being balanced is still a goal – but I think it’s even more achievable this year.”
Crawford points to Krauss, who had 317 digs, 51 aces, and 84 assists in ’23.
“Krauss is the foundation of our defense and ball control,” Crawford said. “It’s kind of fun when you have that kid that you’re like, ‘You! You own that!’”
As a favorite heading into the season, one can feel the sense of readiness as the Billies put in the necessary effort again this year. The team is brimming with hunger and dedication.
Eleven miles away, a cascade of sounds of shouting and ball slams are echoed throughout an entirely different gym. Baltrusch is finishing up a scrimmage on the last day of the first week of practices Friday morning.
Creswell finished its season 16-8 overall and 3rd in the Mountain Valley Conference. With the departure of eight seniors, Baltrusch finds herself in a peculiar position this yea with an inexperienced team. The team includes a mix of sophomores, juniors, and a senior, with notable players like Vika Gabriel, Piper Hanson and Anna Davis.
Most coaches struggle with the transition of a younger team and the challenge of replacing experienced seniors, but Baltrusch doesn’t feel that way. For her, it’s an opportunity and even an advantage.
“There’s no building off of last season,” Baltrusch said. “That season was just completely different. We’re stopping and starting over again. It’s just a total reset. And the kids are excited about this reset, too. They’re excited that all those seniors have gone and there’s all these openings where they can now come in and contribute on varsity.”
Anna Baltrusch and the Creswell Bulldogs. CHRONICLE ARCHIVE PHOTO
However, that isn’t to say it’s been an entirely smooth transition. Baltrusch noted that the departures, both seniors and transfers, left an impact. The players were nervous and hesitant initially.
“There were some players that were like, ‘Oh, you know, because we’re all new and coming together, I’m not sure about this.’ And mentioned how our program is used to winning and being successful. They felt like they didn’t know if they were going to make it. And now that they’ve come together and started playing, they’re really excited.”
Baltrusch attributes this to the chemistry developed during the summer and the offseason. Many of the players attended summer camp and put in work together throughout the past couple of months. Baltrusch hopes they can maintain this cohesion despite the challenges of school starting.
“They’ve felt like they’ve bonded; they’re a real team now,” Baltrusch said “I hope we can keep that, because that’s a really hard thing to do, you know, especially when school starts and things – they start to come apart just a little bit. So hopefully we’ll continue to be like one team. There’s only nine of them. So with only nine of them, that’s pretty easy.”
Overall, Baltrusch’s confidence lies in her team’s rapidly growing potential, their chemistry, and speedy improvement. However, Baltrusch also believes her team’s talented serve receivers and servers will be a key element to their success. She notes that volleyball success often depends on their ability to pass and serve well, as seen in high-level volleyball games.
“We got really good serve receivers and servers,” Baltrusch said. “If you watch the Olympics, or you watch college or any level of volleyball, whoever can pass, serve and serve well, that’s the team that wins. They gotcha.”
Baltrusch also highlights the progress of Vika Gabrio, a Ukrainian orphan who has improved significantly as a defensive and outside hitter. According to Baltrusch, despite her limited playing experience (three years at Creswell), Gabrio has advanced volleyball knowledge and ability to read the game.
“What I’ve learned about her is that she’s very smart because she’s had to survive,” Baltrusch said. “She has pretty advanced volleyball knowledge for somebody who’s only been playing a short period of time. I didn’t realize that she was really seeing ahead and trying to figure out. She tries to figure things out a lot, because she probably had to, you know?”
Other standouts include Piper Hanson, Baltrusch’s granddaughter, who is a strong outside hitter and has been playing since she was 9 but has been in the gym since she was 2. Also, there’s Anna Davis, who is praised for her leadership and positive affirmations, which have significantly improved her teammates’ confidence and the game.
One thing is certain: the two rivals are off to a fiery start. So how does one reconcile with these two talented teams and their legacies?
According to Baltrusch, the legacy of successful volleyball in the area first started in the 1970s. The star coaches in the ’70s then started to “pay it forward” by emphasizing the importance of players loving the game and training them to become coaches. This gradually passed down through generations, with many players continuing to play and then coach in return.
“I think it just goes back to daughters, moms, grandmas, playing and people passing it forward,” Baltrusch said. “Passing forward the love of the game. That’s one of my philosophies as well. I want them to love the game and I’ve been training them to be coaches – I keep telling them they’ll make a good coach someday.”
Baltrusch also said that the longevity of this legacy is reinforced through the eternal belief she instills in her players that “anybody can come and do what she does.”
In addition to the generational beliefs and inspiration, she also attributes the growing talent and success of Creswell and Pleasant Hill in recent years to the community area club team called Unity. Unity was run by Patti Demmick for players aged 12-16. She started the club in 2014 and ran it for 10 years.
“She did it out of the goodness of her heart,” Baltrusch said. “Cottage Grove, Pleasant Hill, and Creswell, we’ve all had the kids that played in that club! Most of my seniors from last year who were so good, and several seniors of Pleasant Hill this year, all played in Unity. The kids all know each other. So for the last few years, that’s been one of the things that really improved the quality of volleyball all around here.”
On the other hand, Crawford attributes Pleasant Hill‘s earned glory to its hard work and dedicated community.
“We really had to build this program back up,” Crawford said. “My girls were involved in that, but at the same time, they’re involved in that wider group of kids in Pleasant Hill who really bought in and loved the sport and gave it the time to improve. Of course, there’s some underlying talent there, but, most of all there’s a lot of hard work and a lot of gym hours.”
Crawford appreciates Baltrusch’s competition and how the two teams set a new standard. While the teams charge into an exciting season ahead, their admiration of each other, through their shared experience in clubs and coaching, remains firm.
Far from a vitriolic rivalry, it’s a family rivalry.
