Columbia River volleyball tops Ridgefield for 2A district title in epic match

TUMWATER – The Class 2A state volleyball tournament next week has a tough act to follow.

That’s after Columbia River and Ridgefield produced one of the most-intense matches you’ll see all year on Saturday in the District 4 championship.

Columbia River beat Ridgefield in five sets, winning the final stanza 16-14.

For two teams who have spent most of the season ranked No. 1 and 2 in Class 2A statewide, Saturday showed how little separates the 2A Greater St. Helens League rivals.

“It’s amazing,” River hitter Lauren Dreves said. “That fifth set was intense. … Our team really fought and stayed together that set. We chose to play for each other.”

Columbia River (19-1) had the momentum against it headed into the fifth set. Ridgefield extended the match with a dominant 25-12 win in the fourth.

After Ridgefield (17-2) won the first set 25-23, Columbia River responded by taking the second set 25-18 and the third set 25-22.

The match had an intensity that comes from River and Ridgefield not just knowing each other, but bringing out the best in each other.

“It’s definitely mentally challenging because we know of a lot of girls there,” Ridgefield senior Emily Vossenkuhl said. “They’re good. They’re always there and they want to beat us so bad. It definitely makes us stronger, but also they’re a really good competitor.”

Columbia River and Ridgefield were responsible for each other’s only loss in the regular season.

The Spudders swept River to open 2A Greater St Helens League play on Sept. 21. But the Rapids rebounded to beat Ridgefield 3-1 on Oct. 21, ending a Spudders win streak that spanned 51 matches and nearly three years.

River entered Saturday feeling that it’s playing its best volleyball of the season.

“We’ve learned each other’s faults and we came through,” Columbia River senior Caroline Hansen said. “Now going to state, we have this big opportunity. We really want to win it because we’ve been working so hard. We rebuilt our entire team because we lost so many seniors last year, so this is a really big milestone for us.”

River clinched a state berth earlier Saturday with a 3-0 semifinal win over Tumwater. Likewise, Ridgefield punched its ticket to the Yakima tournament by sweeping R.A. Long in the semifinals.

Though there was no state tournament in 2020, both programs have a recent track record of success at state.

Ridgefield has won the last two state championships and clinched a state berth for the eighth straight year.

River has reached the last three state tournaments, placing seventh in 2019 and fourth in 2018. Now the Rapids hope to reach the top, though Ridgefield might have something to say about that in the state tournament.

“(Coach Breanna Smedley) has pushed our team so hard to be better as a program,” Dreves said. “It means the world, not just to beat Ridgefield but for us as a team.”

COLUMBIA RIVER 3, RIDGEFIELD 2

23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 12-25, 16-14

Columbia River

Highlights — Caroline Hansen 50 assists, 9 digs, 1 ace, 2 kills, 2 blocks; Lauren Dreves 20 kills, 15 digs, 1 ace; Rylie Reeves 10 kills, 15 digs, 2 blocks; Sydney Dreves 16 kills, 16 digs, 3 blocks; Aaliyah Turner 3 kills, 4 blocks, 4 digs; Sophie Worden 2 aces, 2 digs; Sasha Pelkey 12 digs, 3 aces; Evie Wenger 5 kills, 2 digs.

COLUMBIA RIVER 3, TUMWATER 0

25-14, 25-8, 25-12

Columbia River

Highlights — Caroline Hansen 37 assists, 12 digs, 1 ace, 2 kills; Lauren Dreves 17 kills, 7 digs, 3 aces; Rylie Reeves 15 kills, 10 digs, 1 ace; Sydney Dreves 7 kills, 12 digs; Aaliyah Turner 2 digs; Sophie Worden 2 aces, 2 digs; Sasha Pelkey 8 digs, 3 aces; Evie Wenger 4 kills, 1 dig.

RIDGEFIELD 3, R.A. LONG 0

25-16, 25-13, 25-14