SPORTS
Wallowa County Chieftain
A10
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Ellen Morris Bishop/For the Wallowa County Chieftain
Enterprise’s Savannah Vaughn digs up an Imbler serve during
a home match Friday, April 2, 2021.
Volleyball:
Continued from Page A9
Ellen Morris Bishop/For the Wallowa County Chieftain
Wallowa’s Sophie Moeller, middle, and her sister Ella Moeller, right, look on as a play is made during the Cougars’ match
against Powder Valley Friday, April 2, 2021. The sisters — senior Ella and freshman Sophie — are playing their lone season
together on the volleyball court during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sisters’ lone season together
comes during the pandemic
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
W
ALLOWA — They have
been basically inseparable
their entire lives.
But because of the age difference
between Wallowa High School senior
Ella Moeller and her younger sister,
freshman Sophie Moeller, the one area
the two had not been together was on
the volleyball or basketball court.
“This is actually the first year we
got to play sports together,” said Ella,
the setter for the Cougars volley-
ball team. “Because we’re three years
apart, in junior high, it’s within a two-
year span (between sixth and eighth
grades), Sophie just missed that. This
is the first year we were able to play
together.”
It was a season the two had looked
forward to for years. More than that,
their respective classes had looked for-
ward to it.
“We had talked about it because
Sophie’s class is really athletic, and
my class is athletic,” Ella said. “We
were really looking forward to those
classes getting to play together. … We
talked about that this was going to be
the year.”
Sophie, a right-side hitter for Wal-
lowa, said her class had watched the
senior class, and was indeed looking
ahead to when they would play with
them, instead of being just observers.
“We were all very excited,” she
said. “Most of my classmates were
looking forward to getting to play with
the seniors.”
Those plans, like everything else the
past year, were shaken up severely by
the COVID-19 pandemic. And though
there was initial disappointment the
two had to work through, both have
been able to come to a mindset of grati-
tude — mainly in that although the sea-
son looked very different, they at least
got to see the court.
“It took me a while to see we are
pretty lucky,” Ella said.
Having sisters on the same team
can, at times, cause drama or in-fight-
ing, but there has been none of that
with the Moeller sisters, head volley-
ball coach Janea Hulse said.
“I haven’t had one problem. They
do work really well together,” she said.
You don’t see (issues) on the court with
those two. Usually they are the ones
trying to lift each other up when others
can’t get through.”
The two are often in the middle of
getting the team hyped up in practice
or in games. Sometimes it’s through
being goofy. Sometimes it’s the two of
them leading the encouragement the
team needs after a tough rally.
“It’s been really fun,” the elder
Moeller sister said. “Sophie and I have
always had a bond where we can joke
around with each other and mess with
each other. We have a good time. It
helps lighten up practice when Soph
and I can get into it and other people
get involved. It turns into a big girl
fight in a good way — if you know
what I mean.”
Sophie said, though, that the team
— and the two of them — can buckle
up and focus when they need to.
“I think our team is very amazing in
that way because we can all go from
laughing, rolling around on the court,
to getting right back into the next play
in practice. And I think that is pretty
amazing,” she said. “Our team has a
pretty good bond, I think.”
They have contributed a major
piece to the team’s on-court success
Ellen Morris Bishop/For the Wallowa County Chieftain
Wallowa’s Sophie Moeller, left, and her sister Ella Moeller, right, look across the
net at Powder Valley players during a match Friday, April 2, 2021. The sisters —
senior Ella and freshman Sophie — are playing their lone season together on the
volleyball court during the COVID-19 pandemic.
this spring, too.
“They are a really fun dynamic,”
Hulse said. “They’re quirky and funny,
and at the same time very competi-
tive. They want the best for themselves
(and) for the team. It really feeds well
within our team.”
Hulse knows the girls well, too.
Not only has she coached Ella for four
years, she has a son in the same fresh-
man class as Sophie. And their mother,
Annette Moeller, is the assistant coach.
As a result, there is a deeper level of
“I think it was especially hard for
me, being a senior and this being my
last chance to play high school sports,”
Ella said. “Everyone right now is look-
ing at everything getting taken away
from them and everything we have
lost. We do get to play volleyball. It
may be limited, but people do get to
come watch us. We’re getting to do
something. We’re not shut down com-
pletely. We’re getting to do all those
things. We’re just having to follow
stricter rules.”
“WHEN YOU PLAY A SPORT YOU ALWAYS CREATE BONDS
WITH YOUR TEAM … YOU ALWAYS CREATE A BOND.”
Also last week
Joseph 3, Imbler 2
Joseph outlasted Imbler on
the road Tuesday, March 30,
in a five-set marathon, 14-25,
25-13, 22-25, 25-15, 15-11, to
begin the week.
“They never quit one time,
and Imbler played so amaz-
ing,” Hite said. “It was such a
fun game to coach and watch.
Both teams were playing their
hearts out. They were not let-
ting the ball drop. They were
going for everything. It was
such a good game.”
Stats were not available.
Elgin 3, Enterprise 2
Enterprise had Elgin on the
ropes through two sets, but
the Huskies turned the table
and rallied to earn a home win
Wednesday, March 31, 19-25,
15-25, 25-12, 25-15, 15-13.
“Against Elgin, we lost
our confidence in the third
set, and found it again late in
the fifth, but it turned out to
be too late,” Enterprise head
coach Lisa Farwell said.
Jada Gray led the Outlaws’
offense with 10 kills. Savan-
nah Vaughn added three
blocks and Claire Farwell had
14 digs and served a perfect
21-for-21.
Powder Valley 3, Joseph 0
In their first of two
matches Friday, April 2, the
Eagles dropped a home match
to Powder Valley in three sets,
25-10, 25-16, 25-16.
Sabrina Albee had five
kills and four blocks to lead
Joseph. Molly Curry added
three kills, Aimee Meyers
had three kills and three aces,
and both Zoey Leith and
McKenzie Keffer both had
10 digs.
Damascus Christian 3,
Wallowa 0
Wallowa played Damas-
cus Christian close in two of
three sets in a home match
Friday, April 2, but fell 25-23,
25-15, 25-16.
“First two games were
great,” Hulse said. “Even
going into the second one
… the score doesn’t reflect
the intensity. I have noth-
ing to complain about from
the first two games. They
were talking, they were mov-
ing, they were moving on
from errors, being a cohesive
team.”
Shanna Rae Tillery had
five kills and eight solo
blocks for the Cougars. Hulse
also commended Haley
Brockamp and Sophie and
Ella Moeller on their play.
Football:
Continued from Page A9
— Ella Moeller, Wallowa High School senior
communication that can be read even
during a pandemic.
“It’s fun, because really between
the four of us with Annette, myself and
the girls we can look at each other, and
even with the masks they can tell” what
the look means, Hulse said, whether
it’s an encouraging or correcting one.
The season has been a highly
unusual one for the duo. In the fall,
they returned to school somewhat
blindsided by the reality that the pan-
demic hadn’t dissipated and they had
come in from a summer irrigating job
where they were consistently out in a
field socially distanced and didn’t need
masks.
The volleyball season, which was
supposed to start in late summer, ended
up being highly different as well. There
was no postseason to play for, almost
no fans in the stands and numerous rule
changes.
Even in the spring, while they have
had a bit more normalcy and gotten to
play teams outside of the region, there
still are no state hopes. Fans can come,
though there still are limitations.
The younger Moeller sister said
she also struggled early with what was
taken away, and with the uncertainty.
“I definitely did not have a good
mindset. Coming up as a freshman,
I was excited to come up and play
sports, and wanting my first year of
high school to be normal. It took me a
while to realize that we are still getting
to do something,” Sophie said. “When
it was looking like we weren’t going to
get to do something, that was hard.”
They have gotten the season in, and
have helped Wallowa go 5-5 overall
on the volleyball court headed into the
finale Friday, April 9, at Elgin.
The sisters have grown even closer
during their lone season together,
another feat considering how close
— inseparable, in fact — they already
were.
“When you play a sport you always
create bonds with your team … you
always create a bond,” Ella said. “It has
brought us that much closer. Our team
that we are both on is the same one. We
get to share that bond not only as sis-
ters, but teammates.”
to Ryder Goller countered
the Badgers’ first score of the
game earlier in the period,
and gave the Cougars a 22-6
lead at the break.
Two touchdowns by
Powder Valley in the third,
though, got the Badgers
back in the game and as
close as 22-20. But Rams-
den and Hermens hooked up
again to help put the game
away. The 25-yard touch-
down extended the lead back
to 10, and gave the Cougars
the margin they needed. The
Cougars also made some key
defensive plays in the fourth,
including Bales breaking up
a would-be touchdown pass,
and later grabbing a game-ic-
ing interception.
Ramsden engineered a
13-for-17 day passing, and
also was the Cougars’ lead-
ing rusher with 97 yards on
the ground on eight carries.
Bales added 53 yards rush-
ing, Hermens had 51 and
Zeb Ramsden had 48 in the
Imbler 3, Enterprise 0
Enterprise wrapped up
Season 2 with a home loss to
Imbler, 25-20, 25-11, 25-23,
on Friday, April 2.
Gray had 14 kills to lead
the offense, and Asiya Salim
had 10 assists. The Outlaws,
who finished with a record of
2-6 overall, also served at a
98% clip.
“Against Imbler, we just
never really fired up and
played our game,” Lisa Far-
well said. “While these two
matches (Elgin and Imbler)
were a disappointing way to
end our second season, I’m
so proud of the team for how
they’ve handled this terrible,
weird year so far. They kept
good attitudes all the way
through both seasons and
they worked hard each and
every day.”
Powder Valley 3, Wal-
lowa 0
Later Friday, Wallowa
dropped a three-set bout to
Powder Valley, 25-12, 25-14,
25-19.
“You take (on) Pow-
der, and you take every pos-
itive that you can out of it,”
Hulse said of facing the Bad-
gers, state runners-up the last
two years. “They should have
been No 1. in the state this
year. The girls haven’t seen
that level of play yet.”
Tillery had 11 blocks
on defense, and Brockamp
recorded five blocks.
Wallowa (5-5 overall)
wraps up action Friday, April
9, at Elgin.
Damascus Christian 3,
Joseph 0
Joseph matched Damas-
cus Christian later Friday
nearly point-for-point for two
sets, but ended up falling in
a close battle, 25-23, 28-26,
25-17.
“That was a good match,
but I think we were starting
to feel tired,” Hite said of the
last set.
Albee had seven kills and
two blocks. Leith led the
defense with 11 digs, Keffer
added nine, and Curry had
two blocks.
Joseph splits Saturday
matches to wrap busy week
On Saturday, April 3,
the Eagles split a pair of
road matches, hanging on
against Elgin to win in four
sets, 26-24, 26-28, 25-19,
25-17, but later Saturday get-
ting swept in Union, 25-19,
25-14, 25-18.
Stats were not available
for either match.
Joseph (7-4 overall) is
scheduled to finish the sea-
son Friday at a tournament in
North Powder.
Cougars’ 248-yard ground
performance.
Hermens was the lead-
ing receiver with 66 yards
on three catches, and also
had six solo tackles and six
tackle assists. Goller had 33
yards receiving and Bales
added 31.
Wallowa outgained the
Badgers 407-259, and lim-
ited Powder Valley to just 51
yards passing.
The Cougars (3-1 overall)
wrap up the season Friday,
April 9, at Elgin.
Also
South Wasco County 45,
Joseph 0
The Eagles (4-1 over-
all) suffered their worst loss
in the three years of play-
ing six-man football as nem-
esis South Wasco County
thumped Joseph Friday,
April 2, 45-0.
Stats were not available.
Enterprise’s game
canceled
Enterprise’s contest at
Elgin Friday, April 2, was
canceled.
The Outlaws (1-1 overall)
wrap up their season Friday,
April 9, at Cove.