Aberdeen squeaks past Hoquiam in five-set thriller

Published 5:30 pm Friday, September 26, 2025

HOQUIAM–Aberdeen and Hoquiam’s second meeting of the season was so competitive it was a shame one of them had to lose.

The Bobcats and Grizzlies squared off for Round 2 of their Myrtle Street Rivalry matchup and thrilled a large and boisterous crowd as Aberdeen held off a Hoquiam rally for a 3-2 victory on Thursday in Hoquiam.

Through the first two matches of the contest, it appeared Aberdeen (6-0 overall) would repeat its feat of a straight-set victory over the Grizzlies (2-4) as it did when the teams met back on Sept. 11.

The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead in Game 1 thanks to three straight aces from junior libero Sophia Knutson and, after Hoquiam tied the set at 10-10 on a kill from junior middle blocker Piper Stankavich and took a short-lived lead on a Mya Standstipher ace, would take the next seven points capped by a block from senior middle blocker Haylee Jahner to seize control of the game.

Hoquiam would climb to within two points several times down the stretch of Game 1, but Aberdeen held on win 25-20 on a Grizzlies serve-receive error that sailed out of bounds.

Game 2 saw the Bobcats take an early 7-3 lead before Hoquiam cut the deficit to 8-7 on a hard kill by sophomore outside hitter Aaliyah Kennedy.

Aberdeen followed with a point streak of its own and held a seven-point lead at 18-11 on a kill by senior middle blocker Dallyn Williams before the Grizzlies rallied, cutting it to 21-19 on a kill by Hoquiam junior outside hitter Hailee Burgess.

But kills by Aberdeen freshman Emilia Kohn and Williams mixed in with a few Hoquiam miscues led to the Bobcats taking the second set 25-20 and a 2-o lead in the match.

Then, as if a switch was flipped, the game turned on a dime in Hoquiam’s favor.

The Grizzlies jumped out to a 7-1 lead on a kill by senior middle blocker Sydney Gordon en route to a decisive 25-12 Game 3 win.

Hoquiam carried that momentum into Game 4, holding par with the Bobcats until taking an 18-14 lead to force a Grizzlies timeout.

Aberdeen got as close as 18-16 on a Hoquiam illegal touch, but a block from senior middle blocker Clara Quigg on the next point sparked a six-point streak that included kills by Burgess and Quigg to close out Game 4, tying the match.

“I told them there is no time limit,” Hoquiam head coach Heather Bozich said of the Grizzlies huddle ahead of Game 3. “In volleyball, anything can happen until someone makes 25 mistakes. ‘We just said to reset. We know how to play and what we need to fix. Go out there and refocus.’”

“Our mistake that affected us the most was we really got down on ourselves,” Knutson said of the Hoquiam surge. “I think that’s why we had that down-slope right there.”

“They started getting into their groove a little bit,” said Aberdeen head coach Desiree Glanz, who added the service game that helped her team to a 2-0 lead slipped in games three and four. “We missed a few crucial serves, which kind of put us back and we got into our heads a little bit. … (Hoquiam) was setting the pace and we weren’t reacting.”

Needing a spark to reignite the Aberdeen engine, the Bobcats turned to one of its most talented players, and one of the best in the state.

Knutson led off the fifth and final set much as she did the start of the match, using her strong jump-serve to create havoc for Hoquiam, leading to a four-point service streak that included two aces to put the Cats up 4-0.

Hoquiam would rally to tie the game at 5-5 off one of several shots off the net that would fall for a point by libero Avery Brodhead and later at 8-8 on a kill from Kennedy.

But Aberdeen would never relinquish the lead throughout the set, forcing a Hoquiam time out after a quick set by Bobcats junior defensive specialist Daniella Alavez-Oropeza stretched the lead to 11-8.

Hoquiam climbed to within a point at 12-11 on a Burgess kill, forcing Aberdeen to call timeout with as the Grizzlies regained the momentum.

“I just said, ‘This is it. This is where we decide if we are taking this or going home without the win,’” said Glanz, whose team was truly put to the test for the first time this season.

But two straight unforced Hoquiam errors put Aberdeen on match point, forcing a Hoquiam timeout.

A good serve by Aberdeen senior Madi Ritter forced the Grizzlies to send the ball back over to the Bobcats. A Knutson reception was followed by a clean set by junior setter Mia Hallak to Jahner in the middle. The 5-foot-10 Jahner – a Hoquiam transfer – rose up and blistered a spike that was too hard for Brodhead to handle near the back line, giving Aberdeen the fifth set 15-11, and the game 3-2.

“We really had to work on our energy,” Knutson said. “We really had to work on our energy. We got down on ourselves and that did not help us at all. So we were cheering each other on and bringing each other up. … Energy is a huge thing for us. … It was such a relief. It felt so great to win again.”

“We made some mistakes, and that’s volleyball,” Bozich said. “It’s a game of mistakes. … We are a fairly young team, experience-wise, and that’s a big position for these girls to be in. … They are so new in these positions. So I think the moment got a little heavy, and that’s OK. Where we are now, going forward, I love that they know how to play now.”

Knutson was a beast with six aces while dazzling the crowd with her court-coverage ability, recording 35 digs despite the Grizzlies often trying to hit to someone other than the Cats’ defensive wizard.

“You can’t get the ball past Sophia,” said Bozich, who confirmed the plan was to avoid targeting Knutson. “That is our game plan with them, ‘Don’t hit it to her,’ because she gets to everything and she is everywhere on the court. She is an incredible player.”

Hallak was also her typical consistent self, filling up the stat sheet with eight aces, three kills, 12 digs and a team-high 35 assists.

Bobcats senior outside hitter Hadley Lowery had 11 kills to lead an Aberdeen offense that had at five players with at least five kills in the match.

Hoquiam, which finally got its full squad back and playing together after dealing with injuries to start the season, was led by a host of players.

Brodhead had 24 digs to lead the defensive backline while the frontline combo of Gordon, Quigg and Stankavich combined for 20 block touches, two solo blocks and five block assists in the game.

“Avery did a great job on the second ball, getting it to our outside hitters and we were able to terminate off of an out-of-system ball,” Bozich said.

Standstipher had a field day feeding Hoquiam hitters with a game and season-high 44 assists.

Kennedy led the way with 18 kills followed by Burgess (16 kills) and Stankavich (10 kills) as three Grizzlies with double-digit kills on the evening.

“They’re back,” Glanz said of Hoquiam after taking her undefeated Bobcats to five sets for the first time this season. “We kept asking the girls where we were going because they had a great block up and we tried strategies to fight the block. … This is probably the best competition we’ve had this season. (Hoquiam) came to play. They looked great and were healthy. It was good to have that competition and we haven’t been hit at yet like that.”

Both coaches were simultaneously proud of their team’s performance while impressed with the opposition’s efforts.

“It was really good volleyball tonight,” Bozich said.

Aberdeen will join Twin Harbors teams Elma and Montesano at the Mark Morris Tournament on Saturday at Mark Morris High School.

Hoquiam hosts Montesano in a key 1A Evergreen League opener at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Hoquiam.

Aberdeen 25 25 12 16 15 – 3

Hoquiam 20 20 25 25 11 – 2

Leading players: Aberdeen – Hallak (8 aces, 35 assists, 3 kills, 12 digs); Knutson (6 aces, 35 digs); Baker (2 digs); Lowery (11 kills, 5 digs); Williams (7 kills, 3 digs, 2 blocks); Jahner (5 kills, 2 blocks); Ritter (6 kills, 6 digs, 2 aces); Alavez-Oropeza (11 digs, 2 aces, kill); Kohn (block, 2 aces, 5 kills, 7 digs); Frigberg (15 digs). Hoquiam – Brodhead (24 digs, ace, 2 kills, assist); Parra (4 digs, 3 aces, assist); Standstipher (2 aces, 2 kills, 44 assists, 2 digs); Kennedy (6 digs, 18 kills, block assist); Gordon (3 aces, 3 kills, assist, 7 digs, block assist); Stankavich (block, 2 block assists, 10 kills); Burgess (16 kills, dig); Kruger (4 digs); Aberle (ace, 5 digs); Quigg (3 digs, block, 2 block assists, 2 kills).