Arianna Jacobson once held the nickname “Ice Queen” during her playing days.
Pressure was a privilege to the former setter. No matter the atmosphere or the score, Jacobson rose to the occasion and was always cool, calm and collected.
The 1999 River Ridge High School graduate and four-year varsity volleyball standout helped the Hawks reach their first state tournament back in 1995, when they finished third in the 4A bracket under head coach Bob Stevens. The banner commemorating the program’s highest-ever finish hangs on the walls of the River Ridge gymnasium.
Now entering her first season as her alma mater’s head coach, Jacobson believes her program is capable of not only adopting that same composed mentality that she once carried on the court but possibly add to the accomplishments lined on the gym walls.
“I love pressure, and I love competition. I love rising up and embracing that obstacle,” Jacobson said. “I’m really trying to relay to the kids to take themselves seriously. We’re serious. We have so much potential.”
In the past handful of years, the River Ridge volleyball program has been a far cry away from where it was when Jacobson and her younger sister Chelsea Madison were part of it. Madison, who joined Jacobson on the coaching staff as an assistant, was a member of the Hawks’ sixth-place finish at state as a senior in 2003. River Ridge has since been back to state twice — 2010 and 2019.
To get the program back on track, Jacobson and her coaching staff must build from the ground up. River Ridge finished the 2025 campaign with a 1-17 record, and the Hawks were swept in 16 of those 17 losses. In fact, they won just four sets all year. Prior to that, River Ridge went 2-16 in 2024 and 3-15 in 2023.
Jacobson, a club volleyball coach for over 20 years, had dreamed of landing this job and bringing the program back to its glory days for a long time. She coached junior varsity volleyball at River Ridge in 2005, and she applied for the varsity head coach role about four years ago before trying again this spring.
“It really is a dream job for me because of how much connection and how much investment I have in this program,” Jacobson said. “I feel so passionate and invested in River Ridge volleyball and this community of people. I had a lot of success as a player here. We took third at state, and I know that River Ridge can do that again.”
The work to turn the culture around began immediately upon Jacobson’s hiring. She brought her sister to the coaching staff, along with longtime friend Lisa Kean. Jacobson went to six local elementary schools to host 10 volleyball clinics and a variety of fundraisers in the spring, building future resources for the program through budding talent and through raised funds.
Varsity athletes also took it upon themselves to organize team workouts before tryouts began on Aug. 24, traveling to Rainier Vista Community Park’s beach courts. Coaches were not present during the player-led workouts, as they were held during the out-of-season period where coaches cannot make coaching contact.
“It was really fun. It was great to see all the new players and current players practice together,” junior Sophia Quinn, one of the upperclassmen who planned the workouts, said. “We went to the beach courts for conditioning because it’s harder to move. That helped us get to the ball and hustle quicker.”
From the first day of practices, the Hawks coaches utilized a whiteboard outlining the expectations for pre-practice routines. Players sign the whiteboard each day as an acknowledgement of their commitment to working hard each day and holding themselves accountable.
“What I’ve been saying to them is, ‘Every practice, try to get 1% to 3% better.’ I have a really high expectation and high standard, and I keep telling them to just chisel away and chip away,” Jacobson said.
River Ridge returns a strong core of experienced players, highlighted by 13 upperclassmen. Senior Kristina Stupina will be the “quarterback” of the offense at setter, while Quinn and junior Aspen Lamar will be the Hawks’ primary pin hitters. Junior Sa’Riyah Nance and junior Akela Brooks will be middle blockers, and senior Nancy Ritter will line up on the opposite side and could see time at libero. Senior Sofia Lie is a longtime member of the program and was an all-league honorable mention as a libero two years ago.
Practices are much different than the veteran players are used to. It’s non-stop communication. The gym is deafening. If players aren’t communicating or encouraging their teammates, they’re running.
“We’re training with the intention to get better every practice. [Jacobson] holds us more accountable for our mistakes,” Lie said. “If one person messes up, everyone in the team will do some conditioning. That makes us work harder. Everyone is picking up the pace and intensity of the practice.”
Ritter added that the coaching staff has brought the team closer together, making leadership and communication more natural.
“They’ve brought in a community and a family. At the beginning, we weren’t all the best of friends, but we’re all close now,” she said. “We’re all stepping up in ways that we didn’t before. I think we’re going to be better in the long run.”
The entire team’s goal is uniform: win more games. But beyond that, the Hawks want to be more competitive and prepared in an unforgiving league such as the Puget Sound League. North Thurston is coming off a 3A state title, Timberline returns almost everyone after finishing seventh at state, and Central Kitsap and Lakes are talented all over the court.
“These practices are going to prepare us for Timberline and Thurston and those hard games that are really fast-paced,” Lamar said. “Setting the tone at practice will help us when it comes to game time.”
River Ridge surprised some teams at a recent jamboree at Black Hills. Some teams that usually rest their starters against the Hawks during jamborees found it necessary to change their minds.
Together, the Hawks are embracing that they’re a mystery to the rest of the league.
“We’re a mystery to everybody,” Kean said. “We made our debut at the jamboree, and I think teams were surprised. If they’re shocked now, in the next month, who knows where we’ll be?”
“We might be a wild card this year,” Jacobson added. “We’re gunning for it.”
River Ridge begins its 2026 campaign on the road at Black Hills Thursday evening. Its home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8 against Tenino.
