YAKIMA — It has turned into a yearly basis where the question gets asked or it dawns on Alex Nelson.
Is this the year the Mossyrock High School volleyball team takes a step back?
“Every year I think that and then every year I’m like ‘Why do I think that?’” Nelson, the Vikings’ head coach, mentioned.
Despite the constant churn of impact seniors departing, a new cast of characters step into the spotlight and increase their level of play.
And the cycle continues.
“We have the best coaching staff,” outgoing senior Chesney Schultz said.
Several waves of adversity hit Mossyrock this fall, from injuries to difficult losses. The final loss proved to be the most difficult one of the campaign.
The fourth-seeded team in the bracket muscled up every ounce of energy they had left 12 hours after an emotional quarterfinal loss, but it wasn’t enough as eighth-seeded Liberty (Spangle) picked up a 25-21, 26-24, 19-25, 25-22 triumph on Thursday morning.
It marks the first time since the 2012 season in which the Vikings (13-8) made the state tournament, but didn’t return with a trophy.
“I don’t know how many teams are in 2B, but it is a lot and only 16 get here and getting here is difficult enough,” Nelson said. “When they look back on this, they’re gonna see how difficult it is to get here. I’m just proud of them.”
After three years of dominating Class 1B with back-to-back championship appearances and a runner-up finish, the move back up to 2B ended up being a bigger challenge. Still, the Vikings held their own until the end.
Which didn’t surprise Schultz.
“We were ready to go back up to 2B,” she said. “It was just the part where accepting it is gonna be harder and we have to work every game.”
Liberty made a habit in the quarterfinals of inducing long rallies that stymied momentum. It made Mossyrock fall into the same trap.
And the Lancers capitalized in the opening two sets to take a commanding lead.
“We weren’t playing it safe, we were hitting it hard,” Nelson said. “You can see the energy level in the beginning after a very late start. The emotions are so high, it is hard to push those down.”
The Vikings minimized the rallies in the third to extend the match and nearly brought it to a fifth game. Liberty made crucial plays down the stretch to prevail.
Taylor Schwartz, Adyson Barrows and Renzy Marshall all notched 20-plus digs for Mossyrock and Erin Cournyer capped her stellar career with 29 dimes.
There were tears afterwards, but Schultz focused on the memories made with her fellow seniors Cournyer, Delaney Marshall and Saydi Mendoza.
About the only time the emotions got to her was discussing what it meant to play with her younger sister, Calliope.
“Really important to me,” Schultz said.
Even though Nelson is losing four seniors, there’s plenty expected back for the 2025 season, paced by the younger Marshall and Schwartz.
So the cycle continues.
“You don’t think it is going to happen, then it does,” Nelson said. “I have a great staff that puts a ton of time in, and cares about these kids. You’re lucky if you have several people that are willing to help you out. This program has had that for a long time. A big community that wants to see these guys do well.”
