The Centralia Tigers had the shortest team in the EvCo.
They may have even had the shortest team in District 4.
A handful of players saw either their first varsity action of their careers or their first significant playing time at the varsity level.
Reasons to doubt from the outside turned out to be reasons to believe from the inside for Centralia in 2025. Against all odds, the Tigers advanced to the District 4 2A pigtail and were just one set away from their first district win in 10 years when they faced Washougal at home Tuesday night.
However, in the final two sets against the Panthers, those reasons turned out to be disadvantages for Centralia, as Washougal rallied back from a 2-1 deficit to win in five sets and send the Tigers home. This loss marks the fifth time in the last 10 seasons that Centralia has left the district tournament winless.
Washougal’s height at the net became a deciding factor in the contest, as Centralia’s outside hitters range between 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-7 while the Panthers’ are all 5-foot-7 or taller. To add insult to injury, unforced errors and difficulties returning serves doomed Centralia.
“Unfortunately, that has been our issue in our losses,” Centralia head coach Marti Smith said of the team’s unforced mistakes. “It’s never really been about teams beating us, Tumwater aside. But against everybody else, we do it to ourselves. But that’s also the game of volleyball. It’s a game of mistakes, and that’s what can make it so mentally tough.”
After giving up the first point of the opening set, Centralia never trailed again in the frame and led by as many as 10 to cruise 25-18, in large part due to a flurry of service aces by senior Mckenna Smith. The tides turned dramatically in the second set, with the Panthers using multiple big runs to pull away 25-14.
The disappointing second set didn’t seem to disappoint the Tigers for very long, as, before the third set, members of the team broke out into dance to “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex over the gym speakers. This energy seemed to ignite the Tigers, whose serves gave Washougal trouble. Countless extensive rallies went Centralia’s way, and a late 6-0 run propelled the Tigers to a 25-19 victory in the third set.
“These are young ladies who are playing a game that they love and enjoy. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is your relationships with your players,” Coach Smith said. “These girls are going to remember all the fun times that we had, all the bonding moments.”
Even-numbered sets seemed to mirror odd-numbered sets Tuesday night. In the fourth set, it was Washougal’s serves that were making a difference on the scoreboard. Centralia kept the set close, but a 9-2 sprint by the Panthers at the end sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
With only 15 points to go to advance to the district quarterfinals, Centralia took the first two points before surrendering the next five to force a Marti Smith timeout. The Tigers could never quite string together a run to jump back in front, although a pair of Ceiana Arelong service aces brought them within two at 10-8. But the Panthers were the most composed team in the end and sealed the five-set win with a 15-10 advantage in the fifth set.
In an emotional locker room after the game, Smith stressed the importance of family and thanked the senior group, which makes up half of the roster. The longtime head coach, who has been a part of the program for nearly two decades and has served as head coach since 2018, has watched her seniors since they were middle schoolers.
Centralia’s (7-10, 4-6 EvCo) graduating seniors include Brooklyn Sprague, Neela Haywood, Logan Baker, Makenzie Erickson, Shannon Taylor, and Marti Smith’s daughter Mckenna.
“First and foremost, we are family. We’re losing six amazing seniors that have made their mark on this program, and it won’t be the same team without them next year,” Coach Smith said. “But we also have six juniors that will be seniors next year. My message to the juniors was to let this hurt and know what this feels like. Let it fuel you going into next season and know what it’s going to take to get to that district tournament.”
Mckenna Smith recorded seven kills, 18 assists, 10 digs and seven aces while going 16 for 17 serving. Erickson logged 17 digs and went 9 for 9 at the service line, and Kendyl Guenther tallied three blocks, six kills, eight digs and four aces.
