How many district titles has Skyview volleyball won? Even coach can’t keep track
Somewhere along the way, Kevin Murphy lost count.
But as the Skyview volleyball coach watched his players pose with yet another district championship trophy, he smiled at the reminder.
The Hawks won their 15th straight district title Thursday night, knocking out Rocky Mountain 25-15, 25-16, 25-15 at Ridgevue High School. It was the sixth championship plaque for the Hawks in the state’s largest classification, adding to the nine others won at the second-largest level.
“I didn’t even know what the number was. I swear,” Murphy said. “It’s awesome. It’s really cool. There’s a lot that goes into it, like our parents and our players and our coaches. Just all of it. It’s a pretty unique streak.”
Skyview (25-6) has not lost to an Idaho team this season, surrendering only a single set during that span. The Grizzlies (24-6) swiped a game from the Hawks in a conference match on Sept. 30. But Skyview made sure that didn’t happen again.
Senior outside hitter Bellamie Beus — a Kentucky signee — terrorized the Rocky Mountain defense all night, hitting with such height and velocity that “oohs” and “aahs” could be heard throughout the gym each time she went up for an attack.
The reigning Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year tallied a match-high 21 kills to cap off her fourth consecutive title. But chemistry is the translucent glue that holds the Hawks together, Beus says.
“We all have the same mentality,” Beus said. “When you all have the same mentality, and you all have the same, I guess, aggression and the want to win, then I think as a team you will make it very far.”
When the Hawks weren’t feeding Beus, junior setters Lyla McClure (23 assists) and Chloe Lin (18 assists) still had an arsenal of hitters to choose from. Junior middle blocker Jill Deatherage added 13 kills, and freshman outside hitter Rachel Bower chipped in 10 kills and nine digs.
“We all play as a collective group all the time, and it’s always super fun,” Skyview senior defensive specialist Kensie Seward said. “We always make sure that we do each other’s jobs, too. We hold each other accountable, which I think is really key.”
Skyview, last year’s 6A state runner-up with six championship banners overall, qualified for the state tournament next Thursday through Saturday at Capital High School in Boise. Rocky Mountain, Timberline (22-9), Eagle (20-12) and Boise (22-14) also earned state berths. First-round pairings will be released once the Maxpreps rankings are finalized after Saturday’s state play-in games.
It is the first time the tournament will be played in the Treasure Valley since 2018.
“We’re really excited about that. We don’t have to worry about making hotel plans … and dinner plans and all that stuff,” Murphy said. “Hopefully we can get a lot of fans there. I’m excited. We don’t get very many opportunities (to play state locally). When we tell people, they don’t believe it.”
ROCKY MOUNTAIN LEADERS
Junior outside hitter Claire Ranstrom had a .250 hitting percentage with seven kills to lead the Grizzlies, who were swept in a match for the first time this season.
Junior middle blocker Evelyn Radke also hit .250 with three blocks, and junior setter Katelynn Morrison added 12 assists and five digs.
MIDDLETON WINS 5A TITLE
The Vikings defeated Bishop Kelly 25-19, 25-12, 25-21 to win the 5A District Three Tournament championship Thursday at Middleton High School.
It was the first district title for Middleton since 2020.
Zoey Blackwell paced the Vikings (23-9) with 16 kills and one ace, Margot Johansen contributed 17 assists and one ace, Averi Summers had 12 digs, and Olivia Blackwell totaled seven kills. Middleton advances to next week’s state tournament at Timberline High in Boise.
Bishop Kelly (12-11) and Vallivue (9-16) play at 11 a.m. Saturday in Middleton for the district’s remaining state berth.
This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 10:48 PM.
