It’s a well-known fact that Cedar Park Christian’s girls can play some stellar volleyball, evidenced by the Eagles’ six straight state appearances with coach Julie Nelson.
However, most people may not be aware of what gets the Eagles fired up for a match.
Junior Mattie Shelford laughs when she’s about to divulge the secret: “There’s a couple embarrassing superstitions we do, some that I shouldn’t say. Before the game, we just sit down in the locker room and we all stare at each other, and then we hold hands, take a deep breath and then we just start screaming, nonstop for like five minutes. Just running around in the locker room screaming. So that’s really fun and it gets us all pumped up.”
The 1A Eagles (18-1 overall, excluding nonleague and nondistrict tournaments) will take on Ridgefield at noon Friday in the first round at state at the Yakima SunDome. The team was third at tri-districts after winning the Emerald City League championship.
Behind 11 kills from senior Cydnee Dufenhorst, 19 assists from junior Lyndsay Palmer and 21 digs from junior Kayla Zacharias, Cedar Park handily defeated visiting Vashon Island, 3-0, Nov. 4 to advance to state.
Dufenhorst sent the Eagle student rooting section into a frenzy by powering the final kill past the Vashon defense.
“Everyone wants to get the last kill, but our setter had a really, really good set and it was the perfect pass. Everybody did so good and it was the perfect play to end on … excited is an understatement,” Dufenhorst said of her outpouring of emotion after giving the Eagles a 25-17 win in game three; game-one and -two scores were 25-9 and 25-15.
Added Palmer: “We just came out on fire, we just really wanted to go to state. Our passing was just amazing, our hitting was amazing. I think the key is just staying calm in tough positions, because when the other teams start getting points on us, it’s good to stay composed.”
Coach Nelson, who has 104 wins during her Cedar Park career, said she may appear mellow on the bench during games, but inside she’s matching her players’ emotions, point by point, as they hold opponents at bay and display pride for their school.
Under Nelson’s tutelage, the Eagles’ best performance at state was fourth in 2007. The coach added her sixth time at state will be just as rewarding as the first time she led the Eagles to the premiere event.
“It’s just as exciting every year you get there. At state you never know what can happen,” Nelson said. “The last two years we’ve had some heartbreaks, and I think this year’s team knows what that’s like, so they’re treating this just as special as anything because they know it’s not an easy road to get to state. And once you get to state, what a tougher road that is because there’s so many talented teams out there.”
Team unity, depth and friendship are what keeps this group of Eagles flying through the season and into the finale in Yakima this weekend.
“They’re just having a blast playing with each other. It’s a good team to be around right now,” Nelson said. “I just trust them so much and I believe in them. I just have confidence in all 13 of my girls.”
Shelford and Palmer echo those sentiments wholeheartedly, noting that when teammates are close, they’re going to help each other all over the court, whether it’s pairing up for a block or encouraging a player to unleash a wicked jump serve.
Palmer is perhaps the most intense player on the court when she serves, sets and yells at the top of her lungs after each point.
“Every time I come out on the court, every time I touch the ball, I take advantage of it,” said the red-cheeked Palmer after the Vashon match. “I love the sport, I just wanna give it my all, play every point to the best of my ability.
“It’s all hard work, man …no team’s just gonna give it to us,” she added. “Hard work, not only on the court, but in the classroom and anywhere.”
