Prep recap: Skyview volleyball team doesn’t falter despite absence of head coach

For the better part of two decades, a Skyview High varsity volleyball match has not been played without head coach Kevin Murphy on the bench.

But Murphy was nowhere to be found Thursday night when the defending state champion Hawks played their first 5A SIC match of the season against Mountain View.

There was no reason for alarm.

Longtime assistant coach Ashleigh Bettis guided the Hawks to a 25-21, 25-19, 25-17 sweep of the Mavericks with the full backing of Murphy, who handed her the reins so he could take a trip across the country to see his daughter compete on Dartmouth’s college volleyball team in Hanover, New Hampshire.

“Considering how much time he’s put into it for 20-plus years, it does make you feel very respected and honored that he would trust me to be able to lead, especially for this match,” Bettis said. “We knew coming into this season that this was going to be one of our toughest matches. They’re a good team. They went five (sets) with us last year at the district tournament.”

Skyview has won 10 consecutive district championships between the 4A and 5A classifications. The Hawks won seven in a row in the 4A SIC, beginning in 2011, and have won three straight titles since moving up to the 5A classification in 2018.

It’s easy to see why. In addition to the latest crop of talented Bower sisters — sophomore setter Alex Bower and junior outside hitter Eden Bower — sophomore outside hitter Alex Acevedo joined the program this season after moving to Nampa from Bend, Oregon. Acevedo is committed to the University of Oregon, and Eden will eventually join older sisters Morgan and Whitney at BYU.

“Even though they’re so good to start with, you still see growth,” Bettis said. “It’s really fun to watch them still change their game, even though they’re good enough just to keep doing what they’re doing. They’re still trying to get better.

“Every practice they’re trying a new shot, trying to serve a different seam, so I’m proud of them because they don’t just rely on the ability they already have, they want to get better every single touch.”

Skyview is 7-1 this season, with its only loss coming to Utah power Mountain View in five sets. While Skyview was voted the favorite in a preseason poll of the league’s coaches, the Mavericks were picked third and return six starters from last year’s state-qualifying team. Thursday’s match was an early litmus test for both squads.

“I think the energy in the building was awesome. It was as packed as it’s been for a volleyball game,” Mountain View coach Ryan Hofmann said. “This is probably gonna be the hardest-hitting slugfest that we’ll see all league. These girls were hitting the ball hard at each other. They all know each other, they’re friends, so that just adds to it. Great environment. It was a great game to coach in and watch.”

RIVALS AND TEAMMATES: During the club season, Mountain View’s Naya Ojukwu and Sierra Grizzle play alongside Bower sisters Alex and Eden, Acevedo and several other Skyview players on the same Idaho Crush team. Their familiarity with one another made Thursday’s match all the more competitive.

“It’s fun when you’re serving at them and you get an ace on them, or they’re swinging and you know where they’re about to go because you’ve played with them all year. It’s just fun,” Ojukwu said.

THEY’RE NOT RELATED: Naya Ojukwu gets asked this question a lot: “Are you related to John Ojukwu, the offensive lineman on the Boise State football team?”

The answer is no.

Naya, the reigning Gatorade Idaho girls basketball player of the year, paced Mountain View with 10 kills and wowed onlookers with two of the hardest-hit balls of the night.

“Everyone came, everyone showed out,” Naya said. “It made the game 10 times better, because volleyball doesn’t usually get the crowd it deserves.”

SEAMLESS TRANSITION: Acevedo did not get to play high school volleyball as a freshman in Oregon because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This season is her first with the Hawks, but you wouldn’t know it without being told.

Acevedo pounded out 11 kills and a service ace. Eden Bower had a match-high 13 kills, Alex Bower dished out 29 assists and Sydney Nay added four kills.

“She’s a strong player,” Alex said of Acevedo. “She’s definitely brought some ball control and some power to the front row.”

THURSDAY’S TOP PERFORMERS

• Shaelyn Olsen, Caldwell (girls soccer): The junior forward netted a hat trick in the Cougars’ 8-0 rout of Emmett.
• Shaynee McWilliams, Owyhee (volleyball): The freshman setter led the Storm to a 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 24-26, 15-10 victory at Rocky Mountain with a team-best 29 assists, eight service aces, three blocks and two kills.
• Trevor Scheuerman, Middleton (boys soccer): The junior forward scored three goals to help the Vikings take down Vallivue 5-1.
• Audrah Radford, Nampa (volleyball): The senior outside hitter contributed 24 kills, 23 digs, two blocks and two aces as the Bulldogs rallied for a 23-25, 25-21, 8-25, 25-22, 15-5 win over Vallivue.

This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 11:56 PM.