Last November, the Sisters volleyball team reached the highest of highs by winning the Class 3A state championship. It was the program’s seventh state title and its first since 2017, after years of knocking on the door of winning it all.

Ten months later, one of the premier volleyball programs in the state is embarking on another season with a slew of new starters and a new head coach.

“We all came together and decided that the only way we are going to do well this season is by creating a sense of normalcy that we have had,” said senior setter Holly Davis. “We are keeping our traditions that make us feel like Sisters volleyball.”

Six of the nine players that took the court for the Outlaws in the state championship match are no longer with the team. And the losses are not small. Four all-state players graduated — Gracie Vohs (Player of the Year), Bailey Robertson (first team), Mia Monaghan (first team) and Gracelyn Myhre (second team).

But the major shift came in June when Rory Rush, last year’s 3A Coach of the Year, resigned after seven seasons with the program. She led the Outlaws to a 153-29 record and two state titles (2017 and 2023) over those seven years.

“We had a lot of struggles the past summer with losing a lot of players and losing our coach,” said senior setter Jordyn Monaghan. “Us seniors have really come together to plan a season that is best for all of us.”

Sisters has reached the state volleyball tournament each year since 2013, whether the school was competing at the 4A or 3A level. Since 2013, the Outlaws have won four state titles, made it to the championship match three more times and finished no lower than fourth at any of those tournaments.

With the recent resume, there could be lots of pressure going into the season with all of the new changes. But the Outlaws, with Davis, Kathryn Scholl and Jordyn Monaghan as returning key contributors from last year’s title team, feel the opposite.

“A lot of us were kind of nervous coming into the year having lost so much in the program,” Scholl said. “But seeing everyone here being amazing volleyball players, we are now excited. We are excited to see what is new.

“Right now the pressure is off,” Scholl added. “Last year people were expecting us to win a state title. Right now I don’t think anyone is expecting us to win a state title because we lost so much. Honestly, there is no pressure on us. We just have to go out there and play as hard as possible and see what we can do.”

In steps Josh Kreunen, who has more than 25 years of volleyball experience both as a player and coach, to replace Rush and take over one of the state’s most successful volleyball programs.

Kreunen played collegiately at UC Santa Barbara in the late 1990s then immediately got into coaching. He coached at Prairie High School in Battle Ground, Washington, and Union High School in Vancouver, Washington. In 2014 he began coaching at Regis University in Denver. He was an active club volleyball coach in Colorado, and last year he moved to Oregon and coached the Athena Volleyball Club in Hillsboro.

He still plays competitively in both indoor and beach volleyball, and he has played in the USA Volleyball Nationals six times.

“I’m looking forward to not just the season but the playoffs and all that comes with it,” Kreunen said. “I’m competitive and I like winning and it is nice to see that they have that winning tradition already. I just want to keep it going.”

He quickly made an impression on the Outlaws for acting as a steadying influence during a time of uncertainty.

“At first we were a little nervous about what was going to happen, not having a coach for a little bit was pretty stressful,” said senior setter Brooklynn Cooper. “Josh has been amazing. He’s really helped us and I think he is going to do great things for this program.”

Sisters will begin its season on Thursday at the Summit Jamboree. The Outlaws will then kick off the nonleague season on Tuesday at Caldera.

“I’m hoping to see all our hard work pay off,” Davis said. “We’ve been working and grinding here all summer. Lots of underclassmen have shown that they are capable of doing this, and us seniors have put in the work.”