'Build the House'

Nov. 2—SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake Eagles (10-7) 2026 season came to a close Thursday after falling 3-1 to the Waterville-Mansfield Shockers in the District 5 1B Volleyball Tournament. Despite a tough loss, Head Coach Erin Fletcher was proud of how her team battled.

“We’re a really young team. We have one kid that’s actually played in playoffs before and actually played in districts. (Waterville-Mansfield) is a team that has been district champs for two years in a row,” she said.

The Eagles started strong, taking an early lead over the Shockers in the first set. Soap Lake held a steady lead the entire way, with Waterville only cutting the deficit to two points at times. With a 20-18 lead, the Eagles put together a 5-point run to seal the first set win.

However, the Shockers found another gear in the second set, jumping out to a 7-0 lead. Soap Lake battled their way back to tie it 8-8, but Waterville ultimately took full control of the momentum to storm their way to a 25-14 set win.

The third and fourth sets were a continuation of the momentum Waterville had built, as they earned 25-9 and 25-13 set wins to seal the match victory and advance to the semifinals of the district tournament.

“We knew it was going to be a really tough matchup,” Fletcher said. “They’re very well coached. We just got in our own way tonight. We started off really strong, we stuck to our game plan, which was pushing to the corners and the campfires. But then we just got almost too scared to win or to take over that set. We kind of got in our own heads a little bit, and we didn’t control the snowball that happened.”

Despite the latter stages of the game slipping away from the Eagles’ grasp, they showed no quit, Fletcher said. In the fourth set, Soap Lake showed signs of life, keeping the score relatively close before Waterville put together multiple sustained scoring runs.

Moments after the loss, Fletcher fought back tears as she reflected on what this year’s team meant to her in her first season as head coach.

“There isn’t any quit in this team,” she said. “This team competes every single day. It was a team that wasn’t supposed to win any game, and they did. They showed up. They competed. They worked hard. They did all the things that we’ve asked (them) to do all season.”

She further emphasized what they accomplished this season gives a lot to be hopeful for in the coming years.

“I think they realized too late that they needed to make it push, and I think had we had a little bit more time, I think we could’ve turned this game around,” she said. “That’s my favorite thing about them is that they compete. They’re feisty. They’re a little rough around the edges, and I love that. We didn’t quit; we tried to get going too late. The good thing is we’re young. The best part about being young is that I get to have them for many more years, so I’m very proud of that.”

After a 1-4 start to the season, Fletcher and the Eagles went on a five-game win streak, four of which were 3-0 wins. Their midseason turn around led them to a first-round bye in the district tournament before being eliminated.

While the result brings bittersweet feelings, the coach feels a great foundation was laid this season.

“We have a slogan called ‘Build the House,'” said the coach. “When we go into districts next year, we’ve all been there. My whole team’s coming back, but Janessa (Knudsen), and so we get the opportunity to come in with a team that’s young, that’s been there, that felt that first round work, and get to know what that feels like, and maybe not want that next year.”

Now with invaluable experience of winning in the regular season and postseason competition, Fletcher and the Eagles are excited to build on their successes from 2026.

“We had a really good fall, and we get to continue to build on that, because I’m not going anywhere. Neither are my coaches,” she said. “It’s like tomorrow we don’t have practice, and I just want to get back in the gym right away, and we don’t have that anymore. I’m excited about what the future holds for this team and the fact that they have worked so hard and had that grit and tenacity the entire season.”

Before she departed from the gym on Thursday, Fletcher also didn’t waste an opportunity to show love to her lone senior Janessa Knudsen. Not only was she praised for her effort in her senior season, but also the impact she made on the team culture.

“She’s like the mom of this team, but she’s the most sweet, light-hearted person that has the most fight,” said the coach. “She got dawg of the game three times, that’s a pretty tough feat. I’m proud of the legacy that she left, I’m proud of the person that she was here, and that she left us big shoes to fill. These girls loved her. That was what we talked about going (into) that four set was play for Ness. This is maybe our last game with her, play for her.”

BOX SCORE:

WTVL: 18-25-25-25: 3

SPLK: 25-14-9-13: 1