EOU hosts high school all-star volleyball game

DAVIS CARBAUGH, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
·2 min read

Jun. 18—LA GRANDE — The area's elite volleyball players are coming together in La Grande for a final showcase.

Nine Union County volleyball players will compete at the annual all-star game hosted by the Eastern Oregon University volleyball team on Saturday, June 19. In addition, Wallowa High School will send three players to the all-star event.

Powder Valley is coming off a perfect 14-0 season and will send three athletes to the game. Outside hitters Belle Blair and Keanna Bingham were selected to the all-star roster, while Brooke Allen was chosen as a setter.

The Badgers finished with an undefeated record on the year, but were unable to compete in an official postseason because OSAA did not schedule a state tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 2A/1A culminating tournament, Powder Valley edged out Union in the final round by a score of 3-0.

The Bobcats will send right-side hitter Ahnica Shoemaker to compete in the all-star game. Shoemaker contributed to Union's 13-2 record during the 2021 season.

Imbler and Powder Valley have the most athletes in attendance amongst Union County schools with three players participating. The Panthers selected to compete are outside hitter Erin Coston, setter Rylee Deal and libero Anika McDonald. Imbler finished the 2021 season with a 5-3 record, going 4-1 in 1A Old Oregon League competition.

"They're very deserving, and they've been a huge part of our volleyball program all four years of their volleyball careers, especially with how athletics played out this year," Imbler head coach Jennifer Teeter said.

Presley Justice and Anna Green will be in attendance for La Grande, a duo that helped lead the Tigers to an 8-5 record in the 2021 season. Justice plays setter and right-side hitter while Green plays outside hitter and middle blocker.

Green will be competing in track and field at Lane Community College and Justice will be playing volleyball at Kentucky Christian University.

"I'm really proud of both of those two," La Grande head coach Melinda Becker-Bisenius said. "This year was a really challenging year and they really persevered."

For Wallowa, setter Ashlyn Young joins hitters ShannaRae Tillery and Jamie Johnston on the all-star roster. The Cougars concluded the 2021 season with a 6-5 record.

Young and Johnston are 2020 graduates of WHS.

EOU head volleyball coach Kaki McLean-Morehead is hosting the all-star event at Quinn Coliseum on the university's campus in La Grande. The players will be divided into teams and compete in exhibition games. The teams will be decided prior to the contest, which is set to begin at 10 a.m.