SPRINGFIELD – “Team first” was a message that reverberated throughout the gym last Thursday at the inaugural North Star Volleyball Jamboree played at Springfield High.
“My success has shown up when I remember being a team player,” said Jen Richardson, owner of Richardson Media who was speaking to the players and coaches before the jamboree games began. “A team with my family, a team with my loved ones, my friends, my colleagues and teammates.”
Richardson’s words accurately depicted the family atmosphere at the event, and reflected the intertwined nature of the communities taking part.
As Springfield, Thurston, Pleasant Hill, Creswell, and Cottage Grove volleyball players were all huddled in front of two volleyball courts inside Millers Pavilion, players’ eyes lit up in recognition as they greeted former players and current friends from club teams.
Others hugged players who had transferred schools, and some players’ families waved to other families they hadn’t seen in a while. Although these schools are rivals, one thing is for certain: as competitors, they still inspire each other, uplift each other and learn from one another.
“Success isn’t just about being the strongest or smartest,” Richardson said, “but cultivating connections and lifting others. This has been my most powerful asset – driving my success. It’s so important to find those people who build you up.”
Following Richardson’s words of insight and encouragement, the coaches went about assessing their teams’ preparedness for the upcoming season. They mentioned the benefit of facing changes, testing lineup scenarios, and the speed of a real game – an aspect that is difficult to emulate in practice. Their teams have uplifted each other through this opportunity as they now know what they can improve upon.
Pleasant Hill, which reached the Class 3A state championship game last year, reinforced its position as a favorite heading into this season. The Billies dominated the jamboree and won all four of its sets.
Pleasant Hill Outside Hitter, Luci Brady, strikes ball while head coach, Jessica Crawfords (left) watches. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
Billies coach Jessica Crawford highlighted the value of observing how different player combinations perform and the importance of adapting strategies based on the opponent. She also discusses the challenge of replicating game speed in practice and the benefits of experiencing real-game scenarios.
“It was a nice opportunity, and we got some good information from it,” Crawford said. “It was nice to see different combinations of our players and how certain players complement each other, depending on how we set them up in the beginning. And so that is a distinct takeaway, depending on your opponent. The other thing, too, is although we’ve been practicing it, it’s sometimes hard to emulate game speed in our own gym. So it was really nice to be able to bring in what we’ve been practicing, and they’re like, ‘Oh, this is what we’ve been going for!’”
Crawford speaks to her team at the Jam. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
In its final set, Pleasant Hill trailed Class 5A Thurston 18-16. The Billies adapted and finished the game on a 9-0 run to win 25-18. Crawford noted the intrinsic value of playing against a strong opponent and recognizing the need to match the opponent’s energy.
Scenes of Pleasant Hill volleyball in action. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
“You can’t recreate that scenario at practice,” she said. “Because that scenario presented itself. What a great way to be in that situation and be like, ‘And this is where we rise.’ Take a moment, you reset, and we push, we create the face of the game. And they did a great job showing that maturity.”
The Creswell Bulldogs, who finished 3-1 at the jamboree, also learned about its team, coach Anna Baltrusch said. Already ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, Baltrusch stressed that the Bulldogs have many areas to improve upon. She was grateful for the fast-paced rotations and how they further revealed her team’s strengths and weaknesses – specifically the need for more teamwork and coordination among players.
“I’ve learned that they’re definitely just starting to play as a team, enjoy as a team and learn each other as a team,” Baltrusch said.
Creswell’s Middle Blocker, Marley Query, blocks an incoming volleyball in a game against Pleasant Hill. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
Baltrusch said she was pleased with the team’s attitude and camaraderie. Moving forward, she said, the goal is to make the team more comfortable by clarifying rotations and positions.
“We didn’t do as well as I hoped with our serving and service returns,” Baltrusch said. “They got confused on their rotations. So we’re going to work on that and make sure everybody knows exactly where they’re supposed to go next time. From this jamboree, I have about 20 things on my list that we need to work on now. Practice will be very full this coming week.”
Scenes of Creswell volleyball in action. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
The Millers finished the jamboree at 2-2. Springfield’s new coach, Steve Smith, who had never coached high school until this year, said he used the opportunity to experiment with formations.
“This has been a good warmup for the season,” said Smith, who has a 29-year club coaching career. “I worked on four different rotations – the last two seem to work the most since those are the ones that we won.”
The Millers prepare to strike a serve. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
Smith said every player received playing time during the session and switched positions.
The Millers’ last game was against Thurston, beating the Colts 25-18 in a set that electrified the crowd.
Smith said he was most familiar with Thurston’s players and its head coach, David Natt.
“That’s a big rivalry,” Smith said. “Especially since I graduated from Thurston. Also, David and I coached together in club, and we’ve coached across from each other in club. And everybody was joking that the lineup he started and he was playing with, that’s who I just coached in club, every one of his girls I coach. So I know every one of their moves, I know every one of their strengths.”
Thurston left the jamboree with an 0-4 record. Natt said the team is working through the challenge of an inexperienced team. He noted that the Colts had eight seniors last year, seven of whom played, but this year there are no returning starters.
Thurston head coach, David Natt, instructing his players on the sideline, and girls hype up their team mates from the bench. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
“What I’ve learned is exactly what I expected to be learning,” Natt said. “I have no returning players that have ever started a varsity match, and that shows and our goal from this point is to find our team. But the volleyball is there.”
Natt said he told his players that they need to reach a higher level of play going forward.
Scenes of Thurston volleyball in action. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
“I told them that from the first whistle until the match is over, ‘You have to play at that level, every ball, every match, until the end of the match,’” Natt said. “We didn’t compete today except for two-thirds of a match, and we compete when we work as a team. I care about them. I love them. I support them in every way I can. But they have to decide, because I can’t go out on the court and play for them.”
Class 4A Cottage Grove finished 1-3, including a 25-22 victory over Thurston in the opening set.
Cottage Grove players uniting and cheering after their win against Thurston. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
For coach Abby Ladd, the value of the jamboree was gauging her team’s mental fortitude.
“We can always try to mimic games in practice, but it’s never the same as the real thing,” Ladd said. “So seeing how they act under pressure, who’s willing to step up as a leader, who’s able to mentally handle the pressures of the game, that is what we looked for today.”
Scenes of Cottage Grove volleyball in action. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
Ladd said the jamboree was particularly valuable to her because in her sixth year at Cottage Grove, she has a specific goal for this 2024 season of fostering mental fortitude more closely and focusing on mindset.
“I’ve been holding them accountable to having a positive attitude on the court. …. That’s a new pressure I’m putting on them this year,” she said.
Scenes of Springfield Millers volleyball in action. BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
