TVCC Volleyball’s Resurgent Season Comes to an End at the Elite 8

[Lakewood, WA] - Volleyball fans in the Treasure Valley have a lot to be happy about after the 2024 season. The freshmen-heavy squad made it to the NWAC Volleyball Elite 8 after winning the West Regional over the weekend of November 16th & 17th. The Chukars defeated Southwestern Oregon 3-0 and Highline 3-1 to earn the West Regional #1 seed. Facing Skagit Valley, the North Region #2 seed, in the first round of the NWAC Quarterfinals, the Chukars found themselves in a battle early on. Taking losses in the first two sets, 19-25 and 20-25, TVCC was in a must-win situation to extend their season. They earned the victory in set three 25-23, and tried to use their momentum to carry them into the fourth set. Unfortunately, the Cardinals from Skagit Valley ended up on top and claimed a 3-1 set victory. The Chukars hit .100% in the 18-25 final set loss.

 

With 10 freshmen on the roster, the Chukars have a lot to look forward to in the coming season. The experience and leadership from the sophomores helped the younger class step up and make big moment plays throughout the season. Katelyn Markley, a freshman outside hitter, finished with 13 kills and 19 digs in the final game of the season. Markley ends the season with 337 total kills. Freshman setter Naomi Shipley finished with 34 assists. Shipley totaled 798 assists for the season. Karly Clark had 21 digs, in a season where she finished with 313. Markley, Shipley, and Clark led their team in each respective statistic. 

 

Led by third-year Head Coach Rylie Engelson, who was named East Region Coach of the Year, the Chukars end with an overall season record of 24-6. They finished second place in the East Region after going 11-3 in those matches. This was the first 20-win season for Treasure Valley since 2019-20. The Chukars brought lots of excitement back to John J Easly Gymnasium this fall. Sophomores Addison Adams, Keysha McKean, Rouse Bouse, Addison Raebel, Macie Weatherly, Kyler Nitzel, and Mackenzie Olsen played a large part in propelling the Chukars to their winning season. The underclassmen will take what they learned from the second-year crew and continue the momentum they rallied throughout the season into fall of 2025.