Go ahead and circle Monday, Sept. 21 on the calendar. Rainier’s Allyson Ooms and Tenino’s Katen Burkhardt already have.
It’ll be the first time in three years the two South Thurston County rivals will play a non-league volleyball contest. And to boot, it’ll pit the returning C2BL and Evergreen League MVPs and best friends against one another.
“We’ve always been really close,” Ooms stated. “Getting to play them this year will be a really good experience, just to reconnect.”
The final chapter of Burkhardt’s tenure for the Beavers and Ooms’ for the Mountaineers begins next week. Their sisterhood book began six years ago when they were teammates for Oly Reign, a top club program in the area.
It was an instant connection.
They’d sit next to each other on van rides to tournaments. Burkhardt was the setter and Ooms was an outside hitter. By default – and for Oly Reign to be successful – they had to communicate with each other.
“We helped each other grow a lot,” Burkhardt said. “When it came to volleyball, we were locked in.”
Even though they went their separate ways for high school, their bond never did. If Rainier has an off day, Ooms and several of her teammates will come to watch Burkhardt and Tenino. And vice versa.
Even during the summer when Ooms had a tournament or Burkhardt was playing, they’d text and check in. Any slimmer of free time would be to hang out.
“Just having those similarities as people helps a lot,” Ooms said.
In turn, the families are joined at the hip. Carrie Ooms, Rainier’s head coach entering her fifth year, stated how much joy it brings her to see their relationship continue to evolve.
“They’re both great young ladies, good heads on their shoulders,” Coach Ooms said. “It made them stronger players and teammates. They still support each other.”
While the similarities in accolades are prominent, how they are on the court couldn’t be more opposite. Ooms is energetic and fiery while Burkhardt is reserved and quiet. It backs their leadership styles, especially for Ooms.
She transitioned to full-time beach volleyball for the summer and it requires constant communication with her partner. For a player that already is among the best all-rotation athletes in the C2BL, some traits went up ten-fold.
“It has helped my vertical and my attitude, it is a humbling sport,” Ooms said. “I had to come out of my shell and be a vocal person, which I’m not. I try to make everyone feel comfortable.”
One of the traits Tenino head coach Shauna Carpenter raves about her captain is her kindness towards her teammates.
No matter if it’s a varsity compadre or a junior varsity up-and-comer, Burkhardt’s attitude radiates within the locker room.
“She treats everyone the same,” Carpenter said.
Rainier, the reigning District 4 champions, had a shorter state tournament in Yakima than expected. It was given the No. 1 seed and after a scare from Orcas Island, the Mountaineers were clipped by Northwest Christian (Colbert) in a five-set thriller.
Then the next morning, in a fourth meeting with Toutle Lake, they lost in four sets.
“We do think about it and that was disappointing,” Ooms said. “We really need to pick it up; we have the skill and we want it.”
Three key players graduated, but the cupboard is far from bare. Six-foot-one Lexi Beckman is back as is Elyse Plowman in the middle and Courtney Eckroth is taking over for her sister at setter.
“I’m super excited,” Coach Ooms said. “I still think we’ll be real competitive. We are still a great contender.”
Height might be an underlying strength for Rainier. Ooms plays taller than 5-9 and Plowman is 5-10 plus Eckroth is tall for a setter at 5-9.
Going up against the front lines of Onalaska and Toledo, passing and net play could be vital. Coach Ooms feels this could be the deepest C2BL slate she’s seen.
“Teams are not what they used to be,” she said. “It won’t be a walk in the park. It can be anybody's day. Never underestimate your opponent.”
Motivation won’t be an issue for the Mountaineers. After back-to-back years with a trophy, coming back from the Yakima Valley SunDome empty-handed was not a feeling they wanted to experience.
“We’re taking in that we know we can do it and we’re going to work twice as hard,” Ooms said.
For Tenino, it isn’t shying away from wanting to be with Montesano atop the league standings. The Beavers finished third last fall and had their chances in the Class 1A District 4 tournament with two “home” games.
They couldn’t take advantage.
“We were OK with just being OK, but this group is more driven to win,” Carpenter said. “We worked hard in the offseason to play loose. We put them in a camp (that was) more mentally driven.”
Burkhardt will continue to be versatile in her rotations while Violet Zimmer and Kendall Bowe are both going to play outside and freshman Brooklyn Livermore could slide into the middle. Sequoia Zimmer is back at setter for Tenino.
Both Burkhardt and Carpenter feel the mix of upperclassmen with freshmen has gone well through the summer and into fall practices.
“There is a lot of growth to come,” Burkhardt said. “Everybody is super competitive and I’m excited to see where it takes us.”
The Beavers feel they are ready to take the next step and have a vision of playing in Yakima come November.
“Our goal is state and placing,” Burkhardt said. “Just working together and pushing each other.”
