Briella Mathis ’26 (left) and Malena Mathis ’24 (right) rise above the net in hopes of blocking the ball in their first-round playoff game against Sandy High School. Photo taken by Charles Squires
Although all five of the Central Valley Conference schools made an appearance in the 2023 OSAA 6A Volleyball State Championships, only three of them were able to progress to the second round. South Salem High School found themselves in this situation after they secured their spot in the second round with a 3-0 victory over Sandy High School.
From that point, they were to play Central Catholic High School for their second-round game. A common theme for the Saxons so far in the playoffs is that they have always been the hosting team, as they hosted both Sandy and Central Catholic. They became the host team due to their higher Adjusted Playoff Ranking. The Saxons hold an APR of eight, while the Rams have an APR of nine. Once again, South left the game victorious, winning 3-1. The scores for each of the four sets were as follows: 25-22, 23-25, 25-20 and 28-26. The fourth and final set surpassed the usual 25-point threshold because to win a set, a team must win with a two-point difference at minimum.
Due to this win, the Saxons will play in the quarterfinals against first-seeded Jesuit High School. Although all postseason games thus far have been held at one of the contending schools, the remainder of the championships will be at Forest Grove High School. The Saxons play against the Crusaders at 1:15 p.m. on November 3. There are two separate playing courts in the gymnasium as there will be two games happening that day. The Saxons will be playing their game on the first court.
