Grant Union’s Addy Northway tracks the ball during her team’s 3-1 victory over Blanchet Catholic on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023.

JOHN DAY — The Grant Union Lady Prospector volleyball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the OSAA 2A state volleyball tournament at Ridgeview High School in Redmond with a convincing 3-1 victory over Blanchet Catholic on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Grant Union High School.

The fifth-ranked Lady Pros were dominant in game one and cruised to a 25-9 victory to take a 1-0 match lead. The Lady Cavaliers would recover and eke out a close 25-21 win in game two to tie the match at one game each.

The third game was another one-sided win for the Lady Pros, who secured game three 25-14 to go up 2-1 in the match and push the Lady Cavaliers to the brink of elimination. The Lady Pros would end Blanchet Catholic’s season in game four, emerging from the decisive game with a 25-19 win to punch their ticket to Redmond along with seven other teams to determine the 2023 Class 2A state volleyball champions.

This marks the second year the Lady Pros have been to the sate playoffs under coach Mariah Moulton’s leadership. They were eliminated in the opening round last year, but Moulton said the team’s mindset helped them get out of the first round this season.

“This past Saturday, the girls showed up to play,” she said. “They passed, hit and served well — but they were also excited to play.”

Moulton said nerves, which were absent this year, plagued the team in the opening round last season.

“That was the difference between winning this year and losing last year,” she said.

A senior-laden Lady Pro squad means that everyone is leaving everything they have out on the court, according to Moulton.

“With seven seniors on the team, they know this is their last opportunity on the court with this team, so it’s more of an all-or-nothing mindset,” she said.

Moulton said the key to her team’s success is controlling their own play and letting everything else work itself out.

“We haven’t changed our game plan from team to team or from season to season,” she said. “We just have to own our side of the net no matter who is on the other side and continue to grow as a team and individually.”

Moulton said she’s eager to get to Redmond to compete and that the team is laser-focused on what they have to do in Redomnd to reach their ultimate goal.

“The girls seem to have tunnel vision with a championship title at the end,” she said.

The Lady Pros will take the first steps toward their championship goal on Friday, Nov. 3, when they take on defending state champion Salem Academy in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament at Ridgeview High School in Redmond. Start time for that match is 8 a.m.