By Dylan Wilhelm / [email protected]
Volleyball season is upon us at Centralia College and on Friday the Trailblazers hosted a super scrimmage with four other teams to prepare for their opener next Friday.
Chemeketa, South Puget Sound, Shoreline and Wenatchee Valley all came to Michael Smith Gymnasium to participate in scrimmages, and the Trailblazers split into two teams.
“It’s just a good opportunity to play a little bit before the season starts,” said Centralia coach Ceanna Larson. “It’s always fun to have the first game where we’re not practicing ourselves.”
Each team, including the two CC teams, played five 20-minute exhibition matches, which Larson said was a great way to find out what formations and setups worked best in a relaxed environment.
“There were standout moments from both teams,” Larson said. “I think they did a great job today. We have a lot of talent this year, so it’s really exciting to see when we can come together with our lineups and start pushing forward.”
Six players from last year’s group are returning, including Centralia graduates Evie Rooklidge and Peyton Smith, Tenino graduate Seaonna Morgann and WF West graduate Morgan Rogerson.
They are joined by 11 new freshmen, including former Centralia star Lauren Wasson and Toledo’s Lyndzie Filla, both of whom earned All-League honors in their respective leagues during their senior seasons last fall.
Larson, who only took over as head of the program in mid-summer last year, is excited to continue to grow the program with her new additions. She says the team is looking to establish a foothold in Centralia and elsewhere.
“I knew I could build a really successful program at CC,” Larson said. “I was really excited to take the lead, help rebuild and make volleyball in Lewis County something that excites… It’s going to be really exciting for all of our freshmen to be here and get into the spirit of the season.”
The Trailblazers will play an intra-team scrimmage on Tuesday before hosting the Blazer Classic next weekend to open the regular season.
They face Big Bend on Friday at 3 p.m. before facing Blue Mountain on Saturday morning and South Puget Sound on Saturday night.
