Madison McLain

School: Santiam Christian

Year: Sophomore

Position: Setter

Statistics: 1,073 assists, 202 digs and 128 aces

Honors: First-team all-PacWest Conference; second-team all-Class 3A state tournament; first-team Class 3A all-state

When Santiam Christian volleyball coach Kim McLain looks back on the career of Sara Almen, there are several moments that stand out.

There was the uncommon intensity and desire to succeed that McLain noticed Almen possessed as an eighth-grader on one of the coach's club teams.

And there was that match two years ago during Almen's sophomore season when the Eagles were losing and McLain decided to move Almen to an attacking position, a change that led to a dramatic comeback victory.

In short, said McLain, Almen is a special talent.

"I had the privilege of coaching her on her very first club team and at that point I knew she had something different than most players: a will to win," McLain said.

"She had so much passion to play well and win that at times, she would get small adrenaline rushes."

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For the previous three years the Santiam Christian Eagles hoisted the 3A state volleyball championship trophy, but that streak ended with their 3-2 loss in the quarterfinals on Friday at Lane Community College.

Saturday morning, SC (26-5) defeated Vale (19-6) 3-2 to reach the fourth-place match.

Game scores were 25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-7.

Against Valley Catholic (26-6), the Eagles had a chance to break the string of five-game matches, but couldn't get over the hump in the fourth game.

Game scores were 21-25, 25-20, 25-15, 18-25, 15-11.

Santiam Christian High School's volleyball team evened its season series with Blanchet with a 25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 25-14 win Wednesday.

Visiting Santiam Christian rallied from down 13-8 in the first game to win on a kill by Sara Almen. The Eagles held off a second game Blanchet comeback.

Blanchet led at 21-8 in the third game and stopped a Santiam Christian comeback to win it.

The Eagles pulled away to win the fourth game.

The teams are now tied for the PacWest Conference lead at 9-1. Blanchet won the first meeting between the two teams in four sets on Sept. 22.

Santiam Christian 3, Blanchet 1

Santiam Christian avenged its only conference loss this season by defeating Blanchet on the road in four sets in the PacWest conference match-up.

Set scores were 25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 25-14.

"This is a good win for us. Blanchet is a really good team," said Santiam Christian coach Kim McLain. "We've really been working on the little things, passing and serving," said McLain.

The Eagles were led by Sara Almen with 29 kills and two aces. Jessi Seumalo and Madison Gravely each recorded 12 kills, and Gravely also contributed four blocks. Brooklyn Carpenter led the team with 23 digs, while Madison McLain had 44 assists and 19 digs.

Santiam Christian (14-3 9-1) returns to action at the 8-team North Bend Invitational on Saturday.

Sara Almen said it was frustrating during the summer and early part of the season, not knowing how good her final high school team might be.

Santiam Christian finished last season with its second straight OSAA 3A volleyball state title, but the Eagles entered 2011 without three key players who helped them get both those championships.

This year's roster includes just three full-time players off last year's team, and the Eagles are now counting on five freshmen and sophomores who are getting their first real taste of varsity competition.

Almen, a senior outside hitter and the 2010 3A state player of the year, knows what it's like to take the court with the older players for the first time.

"I remember my freshman year before my first match I was so nervous. I was telling my coach, ‘I can't do it, I can't do it', so I can totally relate to them," Almen said Tuesday night after her team's three-set home sweep of Toledo on a PacWest Conference match.

Freshmen Bella Foss, Katy Paratore and Victoria Schroeder and sophomores Brooklyn Carpenter and Madison Gravley will play a big part in determining whether Santiam Christian gets a shot at another state title next month.

Santiam Christian swept three matches Friday at its endowment tournament.
The Eagles defeated Stayton, 25-11, 25-19; downed Sutherlin 25-13, 25-19; and edged McNary 25-13, 23-25, 15-5.
In other tournament scores, Stayton defeated Sutherlin, 26-24, 15-25,
15-5; McNary topped Sutherlin 25-19, 26-24; and McNary held off Stayton 25-18, 25-27, 15-13.
Santiam Christian is the two-time defending 3A state champions.
"This year we have some younger players. They realize they have to play as a team," said coach Kim McLain.
The Eagles lost first-team all-state honoree Anna Wruck, who is now playing for Tulane. They are led this year by senior Sara Almen, junior Jessi Seumalo, and sophomore Madison McLain.
The Eagles are off until next weekend when they will play at the Roseburg Invitational.

Tulane opened the season by winning two of their four matches at the Tiger Invitational...

All of their matches lasted just three sets and freshman middle hitter Anna Wruck was named to the all-tournament team....

Wruck led the Green Wave attack with 24 assists - including nine versus Binghamton in the tournament finale - and added 13 blocks in the opening tournament of her career.

Two area high school sports teams found out that winning a second state title is just as much fun as the first.

Santiam Christian swept three matches at the 3A state tournament to claim its second straight title at Lane Community College in Eugene.

The Eagles defeated St. Mary's, of Medford, in the championship match, 25-17, 25-23, 25-15.

SC was led by first team all-tournament and all-state selections and future Division I players Anna Wruck, a senior, and Sara Almen, a junior.

Wruck had 19 kills and three blocks in the title match. Almen added 15 kills and five aces.

"It's harder because you always have a target on your back We knew it coming in, so we just had to fight that much harder," said Almen, the 3A state player of the year, of winning again. "Our goal the whole season was to repeat, and that's all that mattered."

The Eagles, who beat Cascade Christian in a state playoff match, finished the season undefeated against 3A schools. Their only two losses were to Clackamas and Roseburg, both 6A round-of-16 teams.

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