Scrolling through LBCC volleyball’s 2024 game results can feel a bit like déjà vu: 3-0 win, 3-0 win, 3-0 win… and it just keeps going. The Beaks haven’t dropped a set since August, with 24 consecutive three-set victories entering their final match of the regular season: 6 p.m. on Nov. 4 against Lane Community College at home in Albany.
The winning streak goes even further back. The last time the Roadrunners dropped a volleyball match was before most traditional students were even enrolled at LBCC: a loss to Columbia Basin on Sept. 18, 2022. Since then? Eighty-four straight victories. Two NWAC championships. And that’s not even counting the team’s 2021 title – LB isn’t just focused on extending their winning streak this season, but achieving a fourth-straight conference championship.
LB’s roster is once again star-studded. Setter/opposite hitter Avery Hughes leads the NWAC by a significant margin in hitting percentage (.538). Middle blocker/outside hitter Grace Luttrell leads the conference in blocks per set with 1.16. Outside/opposite hitter Brooklyn Willard was named NWAC Baden and AVCA Two-Year Player of the Week back in October.
But the absurdly high expectations surrounding the team can still be a challenge. “I would say just improving our mental,” said freshman setter/opposite hitter Amy Pappas on what the team could still improve on during the winning streak. “Just keep going and not losing sight of what we want to accomplish.”
Pappas credits head coach Jayme Frazier, who’s led LB to their last three championships and won over 700 games as a head coach, for helping the team stay in the right mindset: “Jayme is really good at putting a good amount of pressure on us, not an overwhelming [amount]. Like, she knows what we can do. She does a really good job of keeping us all together and keeping our heads up.”
Frazier’s pride in her team is easy to hear, but she doesn’t like to dwell on the Roadrunners’ incredible winning numbers during the season. When asked about how the team has only dropped three sets in 2024, she put the focus on the little things instead of the grand final results.
“You know what, they believe in themselves, and it counts for so much,” said Frazier. “When we practice things and they believe in it, then it just keeps on getting better. … So I don’t know, not losing a set, we don’t talk about it too much. We do the boring consistently. It doesn’t sound very exciting, but ETD – we execute the details.”
Even after yet another 3-0 win on the team’s annual Dig Pink Night, she could still find aspects of their performance that needed fine-tuning: “Just the little things. Why are we missing certain serves?” she said. “Our blocks have been something we’ve been trying to work on. … I think blocking is always a big thing, even though we’re a pretty solid blocking team. It’s just something we can always work on. Serve-receive, you know, we want to get those numbers higher. Because we know teams are gonna pick that apart, we’re gonna run into some teams that are tough serving.”
“We don’t need to add a bunch of new stuff, we just gotta keep grinding away at the little things.”
The detailed-oriented approach, paired with the talent on the Linn-Benton roster, has made the Beaks volleyball program a powerhouse in the NWAC that hasn’t come close to slowing down in recent years.
The Roadrunners hope to close out their regular season in style on Nov. 8 at home. It’ll be Staff & Faculty Night, meaning free popcorn for school employees. The festivities will continue with the 2024 baseball team hanging their recent NWAC Championship banner after the second set, and a celebration honoring the 2024-25 volleyball sophomores following the last.
After that for LB volleyball? The NWAC playoffs.
LBCC, as the NWAC South’s No. 1 seed, will host regional-round playoff matches from Nov. 16-17 in Albany. Then, the Elite Eight through championship round will be held at Pierce College from Nov. 22-24 in Lakewood, Wash. More information can be found on the NWAC website.
If recent trends continue, the Beaks should find themselves playing late in November once again. But their success remains rooted in not looking that far ahead.
“‘One point, one set, one match’ is always what we say,” said Pappas of the team’s approach. “We never let up, and we’re just gonna keep our foot on the pedal and keep going.”
Ethan Birmingham contributed to this article.
