Athletes head to volleyball nationals

Sisters will be well represented on the club volleyball scene to conclude the 2024 season.

In addition to Kathryn Buller, Bailey Robertson and Gracie Vohs (The Nugget April 10, 2024), five other members of the 2023 SHS State Champion volleyball team have qualified for and will be competing in two national championship tournaments.

Gracelyn Myhre and Mia Monaghan, both seniors, will be traveling to Baltimore, Maryland later this month with their club volleyball team, North Pacific Juniors (NPJ) Bend 18 National. Myhre and Monaghan helped their team earn their bid by competing in the Columbia Empire Volleyball Association (CEVA) Open Division. Their ticket to the 2024 USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship came after a strong finish in the GJNC Bid Tournament. Myhre is an invaluable hitter and passer for the team. Monaghan dons the Libero jersey and anchors the back row with stellar defense. The NPJ Bend 18 National team will be heading into the National tournament after finishing in 3rd place at The Under Armour 18U National Championship in Louisville, Kentucky this past weekend.

Webfoot 18-Elite, a Eugene-based volleyball team also in the Open Division of the CEVA region has been a fierce competitor with the NPJ Bend 18 National team throughout the season. Sisters High School Junior Kathryn Scholl has been playing for Webfoot for three seasons. Scholl’s team was able to secure their spot this year in the Baltimore, Maryland Championship Tournament after a stellar third place finish in the Open Division GJNC Bid Tournament to clinch the Freedom National bid. Scholl is able to put the ball away and earn points for her team anywhere on the court, hitting exceptionally well from the outside. Scholl’s team has traveled to tournaments in Sacramento, California and Texas this season to compete with some of the best volleyball clubs in the nation. Most recently, they also traveled to Louisville, Kentucky and brought home the hardware as the 2024 18s Classic Champions.

SHS juniors Holly Davis and Jordyn Monaghan will be headed to the 2024 USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship 14-17s tournament being held in Las Vegas over the 4th of July. Davis and Monaghan also play for North Pacific Juniors on the 17 National team. Their team secured a bid to the national tournament with an American Division win at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier in Spokane, Washington earlier in March. Davis and Monaghan led their team to an outstanding 8-1 overall record, with a convincing win over NorCal 17s in two sets (25-19, 25-19) in the championship match.

Monaghan secured her position as libero for the team, making her presence known with great digs in the back row and earning a slew of points from the service line. As the primary setter for the team, Davis runs the offense, putting up outstanding sets to every position on the court. Like Monaghan, she is able to send over serves that give the opposing team fits.

Myhre, Davis, and the Monaghan sisters are excited for their return to nationals. Myhre and Davis started their club volleyball careers with NPJ in 2018, earning a spot in the National tournament in Detroit, Michigan that year. The following year, the Monaghan sisters joined NPJ and both teams (12s & 13s) qualified for and competed in the National Championship Tournament. Bids were also secured for the 2020 season. However, the tournament was canceled due to COVID.

Next fall, Mia Monaghan will be heading over the mountains on a volleyball scholarship to Linn-Benton Community College, an exceptional program that went undefeated (36-0) in the 2023-24 season. Myhre has also accepted a scholarship from Life Pacific University in San Dimas, California. Myhre’s volleyball talent will be on display for the Warriors in indoor and beach volleyball.

The younger three players will bring their off season hard work and success back to Sisters High School for their final season of high school volleyball. They are hopeful to make a run at the State Championship once again. With Jordyn’s defensive skills, Davis’ ability to move the ball around, and Scholl’s hard-hitting, these three will bring a firm foundation for Outlaw volleyball. Following the long tradition of college volleyball players from Sisters, Scholl, Monaghan, and Davis will be working to join that list.

For Sisters to produce eight elite volleyball players that can compete on a national level, representing three Oregon volleyball clubs in the same season, is remarkable accomplishment. Organizers said that they knew this group was special when the high school season began and they continue to achieve big goals.