The 2026 class is the stuff of legends when it comes to South Albany girls volleyball.
As juniors in 2024, that class helped the RedHawks win their first ever volleyball state championship, which was also the first team state title in South Albany history.
Last year as seniors, they helped do it again and give the RedHawks back-to-back crowns.
With that class now gone, there are some new names ready to write their own story for South Albany, and while the journey may look different, they hope it has a similar ending.
“It’s exciting that they had the experience of being a part of it last year and got to be in the lineup and work so it’s not asking them to just step in and figure everything out,” RedHawks head coach Kaela Wehrman said. “It’s more so just asking for a little bit more from them, even though they already kind of know. Some of them are shifting to different positions or some of them are – maybe they were only a three-rotation player last year and I’m asking them to be a six-rotation player this year.”
The past few years, the RedHawks were led by players like Taylor Donaldson, Maddie Angel, Kaylee Cordle, Ryland Minnick and more.
Having them not only be great players, but great people as well has created a standard within the program that Wehrman is happy to see continue into the younger players.
“We do still have a couple core returners from last year that have really stepped up in leadership roles on the team,” Wehrman said. “I think it’s a really good balance of realizing that even though we don’t have those seniors physically in the gym anymore, they really helped shape the tone and culture of our program. It’s been really neat to see that tone and culture has outlasted them physically being there.”
One of those returners is a big one in senior Audrey Webb, who was named the 5A State Player of the Year last fall as a hitter. She was also an All-Tournament first-teamer a year ago.
Junior Addie Minnick is back after being named the player of the match for the state title game last year and earning a nod for second-team All-State.
Junior Brooklyn Dodge also has plenty of experience as a three-rotation setter last year for the RedHawks, and she’ll be getting more time in 2026 to run the offense.
“A lot of teams when you have a hitter of that caliber (like Webb), you kind of have to rely really heavily on them, but we had so many other tools and depth last year that she didn’t necessarily have to feel that pressure and fully own that leadership role,” Wehrman said. “(Minnick and Dodge) are both stepping into more of a role, both in the lineup and as captains on the team this year. So they’re kind of settling into that upperclassmen role and we’re going to be definitely needing and asking more them this season.”
As that trio slides into new roles as leaders, that means new names have to come in and fill the roles they left behind.
Junior Shaleigh Strome looks to be one of them as she moves from middle blocker to more of a pin hitter this year. Senior Alicia Martindale is filling in at the libero/defensive specialist spot after waiting patiently behind Angel and working for this moment.
Junior Blair Henkel will be a good addition as well. She tore her ACL during club season after her freshman year and missed both the high school and club season of her sophomore year.
No matter who it is though, Wehrman is stressing to her new-look squad that 2026 represents a chance to write a different story and make new memories.
“I think last season I felt there was that expectation right at the start of the year for us to do it again, and we kind of had that weight on us all year,” Wehrman said. “This year, I’m trying to be really intentional with the team that I have because our dynamic does look a lot different, of just giving them the space and opportunity to write their own story and be their own team.”
The RedHawks will have some more work to do with Bend coming in as the No. 1-ranked 5A team in the preseason OSAAtoday coaches poll. Crescent Valley was picked for No. 2 with South Albany slotting in at No. 3.
The RedHawks already played in their first tournament out in Bend at Mountain View, sweeping the host Cougars, 6A Forest Grove and 6A North Medford.
Wehrman said the goal is always to make it at least to the state tournament, which is slated for Nov. 6-7 at Forest Grove High School.
From there, anything can happen, including a possible three-peat and a new chapter in the South Albany girls volleyball storybook.
“I think the way that we do that is we take it week-by-week and game-by-game,” Wehrman said. “I think it’s just going to be trying not to look too far ahead and just try to do all the little things. And hopefully we get the outcome that every team wants at the beginning of every year.”
Dayton core ready to work in 3A
Samantha Alexander was hired relatively late in the spring of 2025 to take over the Dayton girls volleyball program later that year in the fall.
Being from outside of Dayton, there was certainly a feeling out period for a team that’s grown up in a town where everyone knows everyone, especially their volleyball coaches.
Fast forward to 2026 and a 3A state semifinals appearance in 2025 in between, the Pirates are all on the same page and ready to chase a state crown with a deep group of returners.
“It took us a long time for the girls to build that cohesive chemistry on the court,” Alexander said. “They did phenomenal last year, they had a great season. But I feel like we’re already so much further ahead of the game because things aren’t new anymore. The expectations have been smoothed out and set and the girls know what I expect of them.”
Alexander, who also teaches health at Dayton, came over from McMinnville and originally applied to be the assistant coach, but a sudden departure of the head coach landed Alexander the head gig.
And in the Pirates first year under new leadership, they went 21-6 overall and a perfect 16-0 in the PacWest Conference. They took out Santiam Christian in the first round of the playoffs before sweeping Sisters in the quarterfinals. Eventual champion Valley Catholic took them out in the semifinals.
That 2025 team only had two seniors on the roster, meaning there’s plenty of talent back.
With that talent back though comes higher expectations, which lends itself to what the Pirates are working on the most this season with their mental game.
Alexander said the team wore their hearts on their sleeves, which is good for a sport like volleyball where you need that constant energy. At other times, it hurt the younger squad going against some veteran lineups.
“The cliche saying, pressure is a privilege, we feel super privileged to feel that pressure, but we are working really hard on our mental game and controlling what we can on our side of the court,” Alexander said. “We’re going to work on our poker face a bit this year. And it also drives us in practice, drives us in every game to reach for that state title.”
Dayton will still be led by a younger core this fall with juniors Gabby Chupp and Kalysta Summerlin, and sophomore Kadence Fuller expected to lead the way.
Chupp and Summerlin are two tall and strong hitters ready to attack at the net while Fuller is switching from a rightside hitter to an outside while still being a vital six-rotation player.
“Not only are (Chupp and Summerlin) tall, but they’re smart and they’re strong and their volleyball IQ is super high,” Alexander said. “(Fuller) is a little shorter but she’s smart and super athletic. Our defense is really strong too.
“We didn’t lose a whole bunch so that lends itself to very few holes we need to fill.”
In the preseason coaches poll, Dayton was tabbed as the No. 1 team coming in, followed by Westside Christian at No. 2 and Sisters at No. 3.
Dayton is 2-1 early on this season after playing in the Cascade Christian Invite where it split almost all of its pool play matches with 4A teams, and also got a two-set sweep of 4A power Marshfield. The Pirates lost in three sets to 4A Cascade to start bracket play.
After the trip south, the Pirates have won their last two matches, sweeping both Taft and Banks who moved up to 4A.
Speaking of moving to 4A, Valley Catholic, winners of three of the past four 3A state titles, have moved up, leaving the door open for a new champion in 2026.
With the kind of talent and connection Dayton has now, there’s no reason the Pirates couldn’t be the ones bringing home their first blue trophy in program history in early November.
“It doesn’t matter who’s on that other side, if we execute our offense and defense like we’re supposed to and have been practicing, we can, hopefully, take state this year and hang with the best of them,” Alexander said.
New coach, same look for 1A North Lake
Kayleigh Fivecoat may be in her first year leading the North Lake girls volleyball program, but she’s more than familiar with the group she has.
Fivecoat coached this batch when they were sixth graders and has been the assistant coach at North Lake for the past three years before taking over.
With a familiar face leading the way and a roster that only lost one player due to graduation off a state tournament team from last fall, the Cowgirls are ready for more in 2026.
“It’s super awesome,” Fivecoat said. “We only lost one from last year that graduated and then we lost one to injury, but otherwise we’re super excited to get everybody back there.”
The Cowgirls have six seniors listed on the roster in Annika Forman, Sophie House, Cynthia Tobiasson, Acacia Roth, Emma Baker and Dillynn Puckett.
Baker is the setter and gets the offense in line while often passing the ball to hitters like Tobiasson and Roth. In the back is Forman and House as strong defensive specialists to dig out the opponent’s strongest hitters.
“(Baker) is the one that really runs the offense and lets the girls know, ‘This is where you’re going, this is what we’re doing,’” Fivecoat said. “(Tobiasson and Roth), those girls have played varsity since they were freshmen so they do a good job of leading as well. (Forman and House) have been DSes for a super long time so they are really good at directing the defense.”
With that kind of senior leadership roaming the court, Fivecoat and the coaching staff have encouraged the girls to be in the ears of the younger players.
It’s one thing to hear a direction from a coach, but to hear it peer-to-peer puts the game into a different perspective for some of those younger players.
“It’s been really cool because we’ve really leaned into having the seniors coach the underclassmen and help try to get some of their wisdom and experience imparted on those girls,” Fivecoat said. “That’s been really successful for us because the athletes, they listen to the coaches, but they really listen to each other on a lot of that.”
Last year, North Lake went 22-9 overall and 11-1 in the Mountain Valley League, falling to Central Christian in the league title match.
In the playoffs, the Cowgirls swept Glendale and Southwest Christian to reach state before falling to Central Christian in the quarterfinals. North Lake beat St. Paul in the consolation before falling to Powder Valley in the fourth/sixth place match.
Learning from that experience, the Cowgirls want to improve offensively this fall.
“We’ve always been a pretty strong defense, so we’re trying to really improve on our offense as far as running a little bit quicker and a little bit crisper,” Fivecoat said. “We tend to be very aggressive and not super strategic all the time. So we’re trying to develop that and when to be aggressive and all of that.”
The girls have the talent to do it, and more importantly Fivecoat believes they have the heart.
Fivecoat noted that many of the girls are involved in other programs like FFA or 4H and are involved with the state fair this weekend.
“I think of it as a privilege to be able to coach these girls,” Fivecoat said. “It’s a super unique group, not just our seniors, but our juniors and all the way down are really good kids. … They’re multifaceted, they’re all in FFA or 4H or do leadership stuff. We don’t just have athletes, we have good kids.”
The Cowgirls are 3-0 to start the year, sweeping Jordan Valley and Chiloquin and also downing Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler in four.
The road back to state won’t be easy with Central Christian still in league and plenty of other 1A contenders lurking.
But the goal is to be back in La Grande come early November, and from there it’s about hitting their own internal goals.
“Obviously make it back to La Grande is the ultimate goal,” Fivecoat said. “We have some team-specific things like certain numbers we want to hit as far as efficiency and serving. More of the controllables is what we’re focusing on this year.”
austinw@osaa.org
Subscribe
