Vote for which you think is the best high school volleyball team from the Salem-Keizer area in the last 25 years
Eight different high school volleyball programs in the Salem-Keizer area have won at least one state championship since the year 2000.
Four programs have gone back-to-back in the state title match. Three different area schools won a state championship in 2008, while two pairs of schools won state championships together in 2019 and 2021.
It’s time for you to decide which one was the best.
In chronological order, here are the nominees for the most dominant state championship-winning volleyball team since 2000:
- Amity Warriors 2000
- Blanchet Catholic Cavaliers 2008, 2009
- Central Panthers 2008
- Sheridan Spartans 2008
- St. Paul Buckaroos 2018, 2019
- Kennedy Trojans 2019
- Cascade Cougars 2021
- Salem Academy Crusaders 2021, 2022, 2024
Amity Warriors
The 2000 Class 2A state champion Warriors went a dominant 27-1 en route to the program’s second consecutive state title.
Shawn Paulino was named Oregon’s 2A player of the year, Marie Roth took home coach of the year honors and Tashi Walker joined Roth on the all-state first team.
Blanchet Catholic Cavaliers
The Cavaliers did a back-to-back in 2008-09 in Class 2A. They plowed through a 33-2 season in ’08, then a 29-5 record in ’09.
Coach Sherrie Bashaw won consecutive state coach of the year awards while her daughter, Katie Bashaw, earned a spot on the all-state first team in 2008. Blanchet Catholic alumni Irene Walters and Morgan Miller earned state player of the year honors in their state championship-winning seasons in a display of two-year dominance.
Central Panthers
A 19-3 record and three members of Oregon’s Class 4A all-state team helped propel Central to its first and only volleyball state championship in 2008.
Coach Claudine Mendazona, who coached Central from 1997 to 2017 and accumulated over 150 wins, earned a state coach of the year award after the state title run.
Sheridan Spartans
The third program from the area to have won a state ring in 2008, Sheridan’s 3A championship came at the end of a dominant 39-3 season.
Sheridan collected its fourth state title in 2008 after winning a trio of chips in the 1970s. Matt Leichty won coach of the year in the state, and three Spartans earned spots on the all-state roster.
St. Paul Buckaroos
A perfect 30-0 season in 2018 meant the St. Paul Buckaroos were Class 1A state champions. A 29-5 record in 2019 had the same result.
Isabelle Wyss took home consecutive 1A state player of the year honors while joined by four teammates on the all-state rosters. Lesli Hiller was named state coach of the year in 2019.
Kennedy Trojans
An astounding five players from Kennedy’s 2019 state championship roster found a spot on the Class 2A all-state teams, including player of the year Sophia Carley.
Coach Laura Beyer led the Trojans to a 33-1 record and the school’s only state championship in volleyball. Beyer collected coach of the year honors at the state level.
Cascade Cougars
The 2021 Class 4A state champion, Cascade went 22-4 to march towards its first and only state championship.
Coach of the year honors went to Cristina Williams, who’s been in charge of the program since 2010. Three Cougars earned all-state honors following a shortened season in 2020.
Salem Academy Crusaders
This poll’s most frequent and recent state champions, Salem Academy has taken home a state title in three of the last four seasons.
In their three title-winning seasons the Crusaders rostered eight first-team all-state members, two different coaches of the year and two different state players of the year winners.
Landon Bartlett covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X or Instagram @bartlelo.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Vote: Which is the most dominant volleyball team this century?
Category: General Sports
