Crane Wins League Title in Move to 2A, Heads to State as No. 4 Seed
CRANE, Ore. - Crane Union High School carried its championship experience into a new classification, winning a league volleyball title and earning the No. 4 seed for the 2A state tournament beginning Friday, Nov. 6, in La Grande. The Mustangs returned eight seniors from a program that won three 1A state championships.
The move to 2A placed Crane in a different postseason field, but the Mustangs established themselves among the classification’s leading teams. They held the No. 2 ranking entering the Santiam Christian Tournament on Oct. 3 in Adair Village, where the field included the Class 3A host. That early standing preceded a nine-match winning streak that became a defining stretch of Crane’s season.
On Oct. 24, Imbler ended the Mustang winning streak with a 3-1 victory in the district championship contest. Crane answered with a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 31 against Portland Christian; 25-19, 25-14, and 25-10. The Mustangs increased their winning margin in each set to secure their place in the state tournament.
Throughout the season, Kaitlyn Siegner and Kamryn Dunten have supplied the two primary attacking options. In a statistical sample covering 13 matches and 40 sets, Siegner averaged a team-high 13 kills and 9.2 digs per match while hitting .226. Dunten averaged 12.5 kills, 5.8 digs and 1.7 total blocks with a .280 hitting percentage. Those figures are whole-match averages, not per-set averages.
Kendal Nichols directed the offense with 30.1 assists per match, adding 4.5 digs and 1.5 total blocks in that sample. Maddie Peters led the team at the net with 2.0 total blocks per match across 12 matches and 35 sets, while averaging 4.1 kills and hitting .281. Lauren Doverspike contributed 1.5 kills and 1.4 total blocks per match in eight appearances.
Serving and back-row contributions extended beyond the leading attackers. Emily Clark led Crane with 34 aces in the earlier cumulative statistical snapshot entering October, followed by Anita Peila with 32. In the 13-match sample, Clark averaged 4.8 kills, 7.9 digs and 1.5 aces per match, while Peila averaged 5.5 digs. Claire Grant added 3.3 digs and 1.2 aces per match, and Siegner averaged 2.2 aces with a 94.0% serving success rate.
The league championship and playoff sweep are complete, but Crane’s first 2A postseason still has its state-tournament chapter ahead. The Mustangs enter with a No. 4 ranking as well as the fourth seed. Crane plays No. 5 Weston-McEwen in the quarterfinals Friday, Nov. 6, in La Grande.
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