Nadiah Luna ’25 of South Salem High School serves the ball in a game at Sprague High School. Photo taken by Stephanie Romeo
The performance that South Salem High School displayed in the 2023 OSAA 6A Volleyball State Championships is unparalleled to prior performances, especially that of last year. From a team eliminated in the second round to the team that placed sixth at state, the difference between these two Saxon volleyball teams is uncanny.
As the Saxons progressed throughout the postseason, they suffered their first loss, which came at the hands of Jesuit High School. Although they lost, they had another chance at victory in the consolation round. Consolation games took place on November 4 at Forest Grove High School, just as all other games. The game resulted in a victory for the Saxons as they beat Westview High School 3-1. The scores of each set were as follows: 25-21, 15-25, 25-17 and 25-22. This victory allowed the Saxons to further their postseason affairs to the last of the two consolation rounds. This round, which determines the fourth and sixth overall places, consisted of South and Sherwood High School.
As far as statistics go, the Saxon’s Adjusted Playoff Ranking is eight, while the Bowmen’s is six. To go with that, the overall records of both teams are 22-10 and 20-5, respectively. Coming into the game, both teams were fresh off of wins. However, this could not happen again, as there was only room for one victorious team. Sherwood swept the game, winning all three sets, which awarded them the fourth overall place. Due to this, the Saxons claimed the sixth overall place. Sherwood won each set in the following scores: 25-20, 25-23 and 25-18.
To highlight other teams from the Salem area, Sprague High School competed against Nelson High School and lost 3-2. Though the outcome was less than desirable, they earned the fifth overall place, placing right above the Saxons.
