OLYMPIA — When Olympia’s star junior Stella Sheeran exited the game against Emerald Ridge in the second set on Monday, Oct. 19, Bears head coach Christie Oldright wanted to see what her young team was made of without their leader.
Sheeran, a University of Washington commit, has shouldered a heavy load for a Bears team without many upperclassmen this season. Against one of the top 4A teams in Emerald Ridge, she was sidelined midway through the second set with what Oldright called tendonitis in her left ankle and did not return.
While the scoreboard showed a 3-0 Emerald Ridge sweep, Oldright left the game feeling optimistic as her young players held their own at times against a powerful opponent amid adversity.
“I’m really proud of them. We rely on (Stella) a lot for both passing and offense in her pursuit,” Oldright said. “For them to see that we can come together and rally when we’re facing adversity and still play some really great volleyball, it’s really important for my younger players to understand that they can do that.”
The Bears received some early momentum from Sophie Deiss’ defense in the middle and Tikvah Mangura’s offense from her pin spot as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Sheeran got rolling with three kills in the first set, but Emerald Ridge’s potent attack was too much for Olympia to handle at times.
The Jaguars led by as many as eight in the opening frame, and while Olympia was able to briefly hang around because of some mistakes by the visitors, Emerald Ridge notched a 25-18 victory.
Bears senior middle blocker Netty Obungu imposed her will early in the second set, and Sheeran added an ace and a pair of kills to help Olympia jump out to a 17-15 advantage. Midway through the second set, Sheeran headed to the bench and was replaced by senior Ella Baek.
The early return on a Sheeran-less Bears team wasn’t promising, as Emerald Ridge rattled off an 8-1 run to finish off a 25-19 second set. But without their leader in the third set, the Bears flipped the script and put together an impressive stretch. Sophomore Anna Johnston filled in at opposite hitter and helped Olympia grab a 10-6 lead to force a Jaguars timeout.
But after a 12-8 lead by the Bears, Emerald Ridge took full control of the match with a 13-1 run. Down by eight, Obungu, Deiss and Johnston continued to build chemistry on offense, along with sophomore setter McKenzie Madill. Junior libero Elyse Juergens was flying all over the court to defend the Jaguars’ powerful pin hitters and create looks for her offense before the Jaguars finished off a 25-18 verdict.
“I think we did well. We haven’t seen a lot of teams that hit that consistently with their pins, so it was really good for our defense to see those fast sets and high swings,” Oldright said. “(Elyse) is working her butt off. She’s working really hard on her eye work and making sure she’s looking at the right thing. She’s a steady presence for us, and she continues to show up.”
Juergens led the Bears defense with 11 digs, and Johnston did a little bit of everything with 10 assists, four kills, four digs, one ace and one block.
Although Sheeran was sidelined for about half of the contest, she still paced Olympia with five kills and added four digs, two blocks and an ace. Oldright has no doubt that Sheeran will be back after she left the gymnasium with ice around her left ankle and a noticeable limp.
The Bears (5-9, 3-6 South Puget Sound League) have lost three in a row entering their final pair of regular season games, first on Wednesday, Oct. 21 against Rogers and at Spanaway Lake on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
It’s been a down year for Olympia in 2026 following five straight years with double-digit wins and a trip to the state tournament. In a jam-packed middle tier of the SPSL, the developing Bears still have a chance to climb the standings in search of a higher seed for the league tournament.
“I want to see them maintain their energy and their spark when we are in tight situations, trust that they can dig themselves out of holes, and trust that they can maintain and play good volleyball for long periods of time,” Oldright said. “They have to be willing to stay aggressive when things are tight.”
