RAINIER — Momentum shifts can happen quickly and be taken away just as fast.
Three separate times on Monday night it happened to the Rainier High School volleyball team. They would lead by multiple points and seemingly be on cruise control, only for Tenino to call a timeout and then spring forward to tie or take the lead.
Leading the second set 22-18, the Mountaineers went into the huddle following a timeout by their South Thurston County rivals.
“Keep the pedal down, keep the gas on,” Rainier head coach Carrie Ooms said. “We’ve had a lot of mental toughness talks as a team. You got to push through. I tell them to pull it from your toes, reach from where you can and push to the end.”
Whether it’s pull it from your toes, or reach from you can and push to the end, or some other third thing, Rainier answered the bell.
Fueled by a double-double from star Allyson Ooms and over double digit aces from the service line, the Mountaineers prevailed over Tenino 25-22, 25-20, 25-14 at home in the first meeting between the two programs in a handful of years.
All four victories by Rainier have been sweeps against various competition – one 3A, one 2A, one 1A and one 1B.
“They came in and got the job done and we didn’t have too many rollercoaster moments, which we’ve had in the past,” Coach Ooms said.
There was plenty of buzz surrounding the matchup. It not only featured two returning league MVPs in Ooms and Tenino’s Katen Burkhardt, but most of the players have known each other for years and played club volleyball together.
For the Mountaineers (4-1), they showcased the ability to not be a one-trick pony.
Junior outside hitter Ellie Pringle registered nine kills, four aces and 10 digs on the night. She closed the back-and-forth opening set which had eight ties with an ace. Her other three all came in the third set.
“She started out not quite herself, but I would point out her great shots are the deep corners and it was kind of a spark moment,” Coach Ooms said of Pringle. “She came through and was able to hit the spots we needed her to hit.”
Lexi Beckman added eight kills and setter Courtney Eckroth equaled that tally. Beckman also notched two blocks while Eckroth dished out 35 assists and finished with eight digs. Some of Rainier’s young pups such as Reagan Bloom and Elyse Plowman contributed to the match.
There’s a plethora of options at the net for this year’s Rainier bunch.
“It is great when you have such a strong offense all the way across that you can confuse them and mix it up,” Coach Ooms said.
Tenino (2-3) had several opportunities to nab a set. Burkhardt finished her sixth kill of the first set to make it a one-point game before Rainier scored the final two. In the second, the Beavers went up 18-16 on back-to-back Violet Zimmer aces before scoring just twice the rest of the set.
Burkhardt and freshman Brooklyn Livermore combined for seven blocks. Tenino head coach Shauna Carpenter felt it was the area to be masterful at in order to keep it competitive.
“It was a pacesetter, it changed the tone of the game,” Carpenter said. “We talked about controlling the pace and playing our game.”
Two of the Beavers three setbacks have featured a lopsided set. It happened against River Ridge in their season opener and was prominent in the third set on Monday.
After freshman Peyton Songer bumped over a rare libero kill to make it a 13-9 deficit, that was the closest Tenino got the rest of the night. Rainier went on a 9-1 spree which featured the final kill from Ooms to wrap up her 15-kill, 16-dig night.
“We are usually a third set team and that’s where our energy shows,” Carpenter said. “To tell you the truth, I have no idea what happened, why they all essentially went to sleep on the court. We were waiting and reacting.”
Burkhardt paced the Beavers with 11 kills while Kendall Bowe added seven. Sequoia Zimmer dished out 11 assists and led the defensive effort with 10 digs. Six players had a serving percentage above 90 with Songer firing in two aces.
Tenino’s final non-league game is Tuesday versus Toutle Lake then it opens Evergreen League play with the first of two Scatter Creek Showdowns against Rochester.
“Their IQ is high enough they just haven’t quite got that belief yet for a full, complete game,” Carpenter said. “I think we learned a lot tonight.”
Rainier will take on Toledo in a non-league tilt also on Tuesday. It's the second of four matchups against C2BL foes before league play officially begins next month.
“It shows your strong character to go out and push no matter who you’re playing,” Coach Ooms said. “The girls have expectations for themselves that regardless of who your opponent is, you go out and give it your all.”
