Cleveland’s varsity volleyball team fell just short of making it into the playoffs. The Warriors finished the season with a record of 10 wins, and 14 losses. They were ranked 37th in the state, which is a six place improvement from last year, and fifth in the Portland Interscholastic League.
After starting the season 6-9, Cleveland played in the Westview tournament, at Westview High School on Sept. 30. The Warriors started the day against Glencoe, a match they would unfortunately lose 0-2. In their next game, Cleveland rallied and beat Hood River Valley in straight sets. Next the Warriors faced West Salem and lost 0-2. Cleveland would end the day with a 2-1 win over Putnam.
On Oct. 5 the Warriors won a hard fought game over Lincoln. The final score was 3-1. Then on Oct. 9, Cleveland got their third straight victory, with a dominant display, beating Benson in straight sets. Cleveland would then move on to face Grant on Oct. 11. The Warriors would end up losing 1-3. Cleveland’s next match, on Oct. 17, was away against rivals Franklin. In a very close, back-and-forth match, the Warriors would end up losing 2-3. Cleveland started the game strong, winning the first set 25-20. However Franklin would fight back, winning the second set. The Warriors would come back strong, dominating the third set, winning it 25-12. Cleveland collapsed from there, losing the next two sets, and the game.
The Warriors last game was against Jefferson, on Oct. 19. Cleveland lost this match 1-3.
Addison Pierce was a focal point of the Warriors’ offense. She led the team with 133 kills. Dylan Wise was second on the team with 82 kills. Defensively, sophomore Karina Lee had 249 diggs. This was Lee’s first year playing as a libero. Cleveland’s setter, Helen Tenney, received OSAA athlete of the week honors for the week of Oct. 9-15. In that week she had four aces, 22 assists, and 16 digs. Tenney finished the season with 20 aces, 279 assists, and 77 digs.
Coach Chelsea Muhs said that she is “proud of the team, for their ability to fight back after going down.” Coach Muhs also said that in order to improve for next season “they will work on being more aggressive and scrappy on defense” as well as “being more connected as a program.”
The Warriors also finished the season with the third best GPA in the state.