Back in 2023, the varsity volleyball team lost in three sets to Roseburg High School in the playoffs and is ready to enter the new season. Now, there are three new seniors for the 2024 varsity team, including Allie Hawk, Alexa Cornell, and Claire Johnson.

When thinking about how the 2023 season ended for the team, Hawk has a philosophy she follows when it comes to losses. 

“I think losses suck, but it also doesn’t define you as a player, or as a team,” Hawk said. “So I think making sure that we focus on just playing our best and not necessarily the outcome every time.”

So far this season, the team has gone 1-2 losing to Roseburg on Sep.14, 2024. The team stays positive after losses with the help of the seniors.  

“I think losses definitely motivate us because honestly this season, obviously it’s early, but the times that we’ve lost, it hasn’t been just like a complete shutout, and we play hard,” Cornell said. “I feel like if you know that you played hard, did your best, then you can’t really get mad if you lose.” 

Emilie Smith was the varsity volleyball coach in 2023, but got married and moved to Tennessee because her husband is in the military, opening an opportunity for Kathy Walker, current varsity volleyball coach, to step up to fill in the spot. 

Walker played volleyball for over 25 years, playing in elementary school, middle school, high school, and in the college women’s league at Lewis and Clark College. After, Walker got a coaching job to coach volleyball and chose to stick with it.

“I played growing up in high school and college and have been coaching a long time,” Walker said. “I love giving back to current players and high school girl sports, it’s way more than just competing.” 

Walker chose to coach for the team because her kids went to West Linn and had connections with the previous coach through club volleyball. Walker was offered to coach the JV team.

Walker has been coaching JV for 11 years and is in her first year working as the head coach for varsity. She also coaches for the Portland Volleyball Club (PVC) in the off season, but Walker’s favorite age group to coach is high school and college.

 “I like working with older kids that are easy to teach the game, strategies and things like that,” Walker said.

So far the team has had twelve wins and are ranked sixth in Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA). Their next game is at St. Mary’s Academy High School on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m.

 “Of course we want to win. There’s going to be losses, but there’s a lot of life lessons that we learn within a season, being on a team and with competition,” Walker said.

Aside from coaching volleyball, Walker is a teacher assistant at Cedar Oak Primary School, and has been teaching there for 10 years.  

“I kinda help all ages, like anywhere from kindergarten to fifth grade,” Walker said. “It’s fun working with younger kids and just helping them academically with extra help in reading, writing and math.” 

The next varsity volleyball game is an away game on Oct. 22, and against St. Mary’s Academy.