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By Ray Hamill — It was a challenging season for the College of the Redwoods volleyball team, but a determined all-local roster of just eight players earned the respect of their opponents and closed out the campaign with an impressive straight sets win over Siskiyous last week.

In her first full season in charge of the team, head coach Kayla Costello liked the way her players continued to battle and how they embraced the challenge all the way to the final game.

“I think with our roster size compared to everybody else, who had 12 to 16 players, and the height difference, we overcame a lot,” Costello said. “And we all got a lot better. At the end everybody got a grasp of things and we got a few wins.”

Opposing teams seemed to notice and paid tribute to the Corsairs for their perseverance and the manner in which they played.

“We were kind of known for being the smaller team but we played scrappy,” Costello said. “After a lot of our games, players, coaches and parents from the other teams always complimented us for how hard we played.”

The team’s sophomores in particular played a key role in setting the tone and refusing to back down from the challenge.

The class included Caroline Dieker, Kylee Fennell and Olivia Railsback, each of whom played a key leadership role for their teammates.

“The sophomores worked really hard to lead this group,” Costello said. “They left it all out on the court.”

Fennell was particularly effective in her final season with the team and closed out her CR career in impressive fashion.

“From the start, she showed up and she led her team,” Costello said of the former multi-sport Fortuna High standout. “She really wanted to win and to be there for her team.”

This year’s roster also included five freshmen, including two academic sophomores.

True freshman Nora Talty was unsure about playing at the college level heading into the season but decided to join the team and had an immediate impact.

“She came in and she worked super hard,” Costello said of the former Arcata Tiger, who played setter for the first time and quickly adapted to the new role. “She came through and she ended up being a really positive player for our team.”

Rowan Duran from McKinleyville and Anna Stacy from Fortuna each also had an immediate impact with the team as true freshmen, while academic sophomores Lily Rust-Kelley (Arcata) and Kyla Albee (Ferndale) each also featured heavily.

Albee brought a toughness to the team that the coach appreciated.

“(She added) another element to our team that made a huge difference going up against bigger teams,” Costello said. “She was our strongest offensive player and played all six rotations as a middle blocker.

“I really appreciate all the hard work she put in the season.”

One of the things Costello says she really enjoyed about this year’s team is the fact the players were all local and how they all got along.

“Having that chemistry from growing up and playing with each other for so long, it kind of made it a fun vibe,” she said.

With only three of this year’s players potentially returning next year, Costello has been busy hitting the recruiting trail and she has already hosted a couple of visits as she looks to add to the roster for the 2025 season.

She is hoping to add a player or two from Arcata’s league championship team, she says, as well as a couple of Del Norte players, who are being recruited to play both volleyball and softball for the Corsairs.