<p>Hailey Cates, senior on the Grant Union High School volleyball team.</p>

JOHN DAY The Grant Union High School volleyball team has its eyes on state.

Last year, as the No. 3 Eastern Oregon League team, the Lady Prospectors went 6-5 in league and advanced to the first round of playoffs.

The girls are ready to get there again, said head coach Shae Speth.

The first few games always tell us a lot, but I believe well compete in league this year for a state berth, she said. We hope to continue to improve each match, stay mentally tough, use team chemistry to our advantage, and compete in every match. Our season goal is to make it to state again.

Grant Unions season begins this Friday, Sept. 2, at home, when they host Union and Crane. The Crane match begins at 10:30 a.m. Union and Crane will play next, followed by Grant Union and Union at about 1:30 p.m.

The Lady Pros host the Grant Union Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 3. Pool play begins at 9 a.m. Bracket play will start about 3 p.m.

Our focus this weekend is to work through our rotations and see what works for us. The focus will be more on our execution of fundamentals and our system, and well make in-game adjustments as needed, said Speth.

Saturdays tournament will draw teams from Prairie City, Dayville/Monument, Pilot Rock, Crane, Union, Nyssa, Grant Union and last years 1A state champions, Cove.

Leading Grant Union are two returning starters, seniors Sierra Burton and Hailey Cates. Burton is a middle blocker/hitter, and Cates, an outside hitter/defensive specialist.

Both seniors bring experience and leadership to the team, said Speth.

Other starters include returning libero, junior Hailey McConnell. Hailey will run our defense as our libero this year. She is aggressive and a great leader on the court, the coach noted.

Another returning starter, junior Kaitlyn Slinkard attended several volleyball camps this summer, and it shows, said Speth. 

Kaitlyn worked really hard to improve her hitting. She is also a strong defensive player for us, Speth said.

In the recent Grant Union volleyball camp, junior Kyra Adair showed her skills. Adair specializes in the role of setter. 

Her confidence and aggressiveness improved tremendously at camp, and her placement of sets is right on, said Speth.

The middle hitter position will be shared between juniors Jessica Lane and Morgan Immoos. Sophomore Jaylee Lippert will work as an outside hitter.

Jaylee is very competitive, and her hitting has improved a lot since last season, said Speth. She is also a good defender for us.

Several junior varsity players will have opportunity for some varsity time throughout the season, and may earn varsity roles as they continue to improve, she said. We are still working out positions and rotations, and will continue to do so in order to find what line up works best for the team.

In all, 31 girls completed daily doubles last week, and the Grant Union coaching staff had their hands full, honing down the roster to 26 athletes.

I believe it says a lot about our program, and the junior high, Parks and Recreation, and AAU programs, to have so many girls interested in playing volleyball, said Speth. Not only was it difficult for us to make cuts, it was difficult to make team placements as well. As coaches, we really looked at skill level at each position, and used competitive drills to score each athlete in order to better accurately make our decisions.

Speth also noted that staff will continue to reassess positions as the season progresses “to make sure athletes are playing at the level they should be.”

Who is the team to beat in the Eastern Oregon League this year? Last year, Burns was No. 1, with a 10-0 league record. The Lady Hilanders went on to the No. 3 spot at state. Vale was second in league, with 8-2, and No. 6 at state.

Nyssa, which was No. 4 in league last year, is also one to watch, said Speth. “They have been improving quite a bit over the past couple of seasons,” she said.