By Quinton Prudhomme
News Editor

Sophomore Jasmine Broberg hits the ball. Photos by Quinton Prudhomme

Outside hitter Jasmine Broberg delivered a game winning kill as the final nail in the coffin of an exciting five set game against the Lane Titans on Oct. 9.

Cougar volleyball suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Chemeketa Storm earlier in the week, but Broberg thinks this win is a momentum shift for the team.

“This is proving that we can play the long games and win when it’s tight and show up for the team,” said Broberg.

As of Oct.11 the Clackamas women’s volleyball team is sitting at second in the southern Northwest Athletic Conference, with a record of 6-2, only dropping games to Chemeketa and the undefeated Rogue Ospreys.

Last season the Clackamas Cougars finished the regular season with a record of 10-6, being eliminated from the post-season by the Bellevue Bulldogs. There are eight returning Cougars from last season, in which Cooper Naeve, defensive specialist and now playing rightside, talked about the benefits and the drawbacks to having so many returners.

“We had a lot of returners last year, so I think there’s a lot of maturity on the team, but that can be difficult with a lot of big big personalities,” said Naeve, “so working together and figuring out who should take the lead can be difficult.”

Cougar players block a scoring attempt from Lane.

Naeve also spoke about team concepts they talk about, including the phrase “You’re not just playing for yourself.”

In a coaching poll completed by all the programs in NWAC ranked the Clackamas Cougars in fourth out of all teams in the conference, the highest Clackamas has placed since 2014. Head Coach Ashli Itami attributes the team’s ranking and success to more in-depth recruiting practices.

“I wanted to make sure personalities fit. How hard did they work on the court when I would go watch them? I watched their body language, and what they did off the court. How did they talk to their families… I took all that into consideration,” said Itami.

Middle blocker Stella Pollack and rightside hitter Abbigayle Bailey are both out due to injuries, which impacted Clackamas’ lineup against the Titans, and Itami thinks keeping the team healthy is one of the biggest challenges that the Cougars face this season.

“Missing those two puzzle pieces is going to be a challenge, but I think our bench is so deep we’ll be able to step up,” said Itami.

Sophomore Olivia Woody signals to her teammates while preparing to receive a serve.

Broberg is the statistical leader in kills per set with 4.58, well above the second highest, Melessini Hutchings of the Centralia Trailblazers with 3.79. Broberg credits her success this season to redshirting the year prior after tearing her ACL early in the season

“I spent a lot of time watching the game, and so I think I’ve learned a lot more, so I have a higher game IQ this year that allows me to be smarter and cooler with what I’m doing,” said Broberg.

“I would hate to take all the credit though, because we do have such great defenders in the back that let me swing, and such great setters that work to get me the ball,” continued Broberg.

The Cougars have eight remaining games in the regular season, with the next home game being against the Clark Penguins Wednesday Oct. 29.