The pressure felt different, but the end result was the same for the Summit boys volleyball team.

In the second year of boys volleyball as an emerging activity for the Oregon School Activities Association, the Storm ended their second season in the same way they did their first – as state champions.

“It was a different experience, but winning a state title is a different feeling, that’s for sure,” said Summit coach Dan Drum. “There was pressure this year. Last year we went in with such a young group, first year in volleyball and really no idea who we would be going against. Certainly it was a goal to win state but we didn’t have the pressure of it. This year, there was that heaviness from the get-go. We had the target on our back and anything less than a state title would be a disappointment.”

The second-seeded Storm won the eight-team Class 5A Culminating Event (unofficial state tournament) at the Olympus Sports Center in Hillsboro on Sunday. Summit took down Thurston 3-0 in the quarterfinals (25-21, 25-19, 25-21) and La Salle 3-1 in the semifinals (25-18, 18-25, 25-21, 25-20) on Saturday.

In Sunday’s final, the Storm defeated top-ranked Parkrose in straight sets (25-20, 25-20, 25-23) to win the title.

Against La Salle on Saturday, junior outside hitter Gavin White led the team with kills (12), blocks (four), digs (three) and aces (two). In the championship win over Parkrose, sophomore outside hitter Beckett White finished with 18 kills. Gavin White, sophomore middle blocker Anand Groves and junior middle blocker Nash Olegario each had five blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Brecken Murphy-Primus finished with four digs.

The 5A title capped off an impressive 17-1 season for the Storm, in which their only loss came to 6A champs Central Catholic. Summit won its final 14 matches and 47 of its 53 sets — including nine of 10 in the state tournament.

“These boys, the best match that they played was in the finals,” Drum said. “That is what you want as a coach and that was the case last year as well.”

With another state title in hand, Summit and the rest of the boys volleyball programs in Oregon must wait to learn if the sport will become a fully-sanctioned spring sport by the OSAA this coming fall.

The OSAA wanted to see growth in the second season. This spring, 68 programs from all six classifications competed.

“I was super impressed with the quality of play,” Drum said. “This year there was next-level play. The level of competition has skyrocketed. If you aren’t ready, there are guys who are going to pound the ball, the rallies are getting longer. I was blown away by the competition. It is headed in a great direction.”