For the second year in a row, Mossyrock senior outside hitter Payton Torrey earned All-1B Columbia Valley League MVP, All-Area MVP, and guided the Vikings to a second straight trip to the state title game before coming up just short.
Tack on four straight district championships across two classifications, and Torrey might well be the most decorated Viking to ever wear a Mossyrock uniform.
Even still, Torrey knew she would not have gotten as far as she did without fellow seniors Hailey Brooks, Caelyn Marshall, and Paige Houghtelling.
“Playing in a district championship all four years and winning it every year is pretty cool,” Torrey said. “That just shows how strong our four senior girls were, we put a lot of time in and we work well together and it’s cool we got to experience that all together.”
Stepping into a familiar role as the Vikings’ premier hitting threat from just about everywhere on the court, Torrey didn’t quite reach the lofty numbers she hit during last season’s run — a whopping 336 kills, 367 digs, 57 aces, 53 blocks, all on a .327 hitting percentage — but got pretty close against defenses specifically designed to stop her.
“I had to learn how to adjust and hit different angles,” Torrey said. “It’s cool to get recognized for all the hard work I’ve done.”
Torrey hit for 293 kills, dug up 217 balls, and had 58 aces (good for second on the team). But other Vikings feasted when presented with just one blocker or none at all, while Torrey faced two blockers for most of the season. Just about 40 kills short of last year, Torrey did improve her hitting percentage from .327 to an impressive .409.
Though Mossyrock didn’t quite reach the mountaintop, Torrey helped the Vikings to a four-year run that won’t soon be forgotten, helping her become a two-time Chronicle All-Area MVP in 2022.
Hailey Brooks, Mossyrock
Flexed her muscles with 168 kills on .351 hitting, and also posted 46 aces, 156 digs, and a team-best 61 blocks in the middle of Mossyrock’s line at the net.
Isabella Burney, Tumwater
The 2A Evergreen Conference MVP led the Thunderbirds with 201 kills on .302 hitting and 33 blocks — all of which led the team — while also posting 88 digs.
Danika Hallom, Adna
From the birds-eye perspective, Hallom finished the year with 286 kills, 56 aces, and 399 digs. Up close, she finished it by powering the Pirates’ fifth-set run against Lind/Ritzville Sprague to clinch fifth in State.
Morgan Hamilton, Napavine
The lone senior on Napavine’s roster this year, Hamilton earned first-team all-C2BL honors after finishing the season with 463 digs, 295 kills, and 58 aces.
Savannah Hawkins, W.F. West
Set the W.F. West single-season record with 57 aces, and also logged 313 assists and 170 digs. Hawkins picked up a first team all-league honor for her efforts.
Kendall Humphrey, Adna
Adna’s top hitter finished with a team-high 381 kills, 63 of which came in the Pirates’ four matches in the 2B state tournament. She also reached 109 aces and 444 digs on the season.
Alex Loveless, Black Hills
Leading the Wolves back to the 2A state tournament, Loveless dished out 568 assists to close out her high school career with 1,532. The first-team all-2A EvCo selection also led Black Hills with 44 aces.
Keira O’Neill, Napavine
Finished with 369 kills — including 62 in three matches at the state tournament — to lead the Tigers, and also logged 81 blocks and 73 aces as a junior.
Morgan Rogerson, W.F. West
Leading W.F. West through all six rotations, Rogerson finished with 219 kills and was second on the team with 245 digs. She also put up 35 aces.
Peyton Smith, Centralia
Posted 80 aces on 94% serving to finish as Centralia's all-time ace leader. The senior also averaged 25 assists, 12 digs, and two blocks per match.
Roisin Stull, Rochester
Rochester's leader on the court finished with 115 digs and 37 aces, while also accounting for over half of the Warriors' kills this fall.
