Eagle volleyball captures 5A district title. How the Mustangs ended a 13-year drought
After 13 years, the Eagle High volleyball program is back on top.
The Mustangs edged Timberline for the 5A District Three tournament title in four sets on Thursday, clinching the former powerhouse its first district championship since 2009 with a 24-26, 25-21, 25-16, 25-17 victory.
“I just explained it to somebody as very surreal,” Eagle senior rightside hitter Madi Hauskins said. “It wasn’t like we went out there and were like, “OK, we just have to try our best.’ We went out there and were like, ‘We’re going to win this game,’ and that’s what we did.”
Collin Hartman, the coach for Eagle (30-6), was a senior in the stands the last time the Mustangs hoisted the district trophy. It marked their fifth district championship in a row, and Eagle went on to win its fourth straight state title that fall to establish itself as one of the state’s most dominant dynasties.
But the Mustangs hadn’t captured a championship trophy since then — until Thursday night.
“I know a lot of those kids, and they’ve actually come out to watch our matches throughout, which was cool,” said Hartman, 30. “I’m an Eagle alum, and it’s fun to bring it back as a coach with these really, really special kids.”
Timberline, already warmed up from an elimination match earlier Thursday, stole the first set. But the Mustangs responded with their varied attack to take the next three.
Senior Ryhs Layton finished with 43 assists and five aces as the primary distributor. She scattered the ball around to Delaney Bub (16 kills), Hauskins (13 kills) and Liv Manning (nine kills) to keep the Timberline defense guessing.
“The last few seasons, there’s been a little bit of individuality,” Layton said. “But this team has just brought everyone together, and it’s just fun to be around. It’s fun to play with, and I think that definitely shows on the court.”
Hartman said the Mustangs were excited just to make the state tournament when he took over the program six years ago. The expectations and performance rose each year as Eagle reestablished itself as a contender in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference and around the state.
Now, the team has some championship hardware to back it up.
“We talk a lot in our program about being three dimensional, and being ‘we’ before ‘me’ and being selfless,” Hartman said. “That’s hard to do as a high school athlete. And so checking in and working as a group and putting the team needs first is cool, and I really believe that’s why this group has been able to do that.”
Aly Cox led Timberline (20-8-1) with 17 kills, and Ava Brickner added six kills, 14 digs and two blocks.
Eagle and Timberline already clinched their state tournament berths prior to Thursday. They head to Skyline High in Idaho Falls alongside Owyhee and Boise, who finished third and fourth at the district tournament.
Centennial and Mountain View could join them by winning play-in games Saturday.
First-round matchups are not set yet as Idaho seeds its tournament with MaxPreps rankings for the second season. But the Mustangs head into state with plenty of confidence.
“I’m really excited to see what happens,” Hauskins said. “I’m really excited to go down there with my team and, hopefully, make some more history.”
COLUMBIA CLINCHES 4A STATE BERTH
The Wildcats swept Ridgevue 25-23, 25-14, 25-20 to finish as the runner-up in the 4A District Three Tournament and secure the league’s final berth at state.
Mylie Mills had 11 kills and two blocks, and twin sister Maggie Mills added 10 kills and 10 digs.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 9:20 PM.
