12/9/25
For the second year in a row, the Curtis Vikings and Lake Stevens Vikings met twice. Once in the regular season, once in the 4A State Tournament. Last year, Curtis won 3-0 at Lake Stevens in the regular season and 3-2 in the 4A State Semifinals. Curtis would go on to win their second State Volleyball Championship. In 2025, Lake Stevens flipped the script but added even more drama in the final match of the year.
On September 29, Curtis hosted Lake Stevens for another regular-season bout between two of the top programs in the state. Curtis was riding a 34-match win streak while Lake Stevens was ready for their shot at redemption. Lake Stevens redeemed themselves, ending the Curtis win streak, and sweeping the defending State Champs (25-19, 25-22, 25-21).
When the 4A State bracket was released last month, Curtis was seeded first, and Lake Stevens second. Instead of the two Vikings schools meeting in the semis, it appeared they would rematch for it all. Lake Stevens swept their three opponents to make the State Championship Match. Curtis dropped just two sets on their way to another title match appearance to set up an epic showdown. The defending champs looked just like it through the first two sets, as Curtis won 25-16 in the opening set and 25-22 in the second set. With their backs against the wall, Lake Stevens turned to the 2024-25 Gatorade Player of the Year for the ultimate comeback.
Laura Eichert isn’t just the best volleyball player in the state. She might be the best athlete in their sport in all of high school sports in Washington. A list of all of her accomplishments would make a Harry Potter book look like a travel pamphlet. A snippet of her accomplishments includes a commitment to Oregon, being part of the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program, and taking home the Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior. She moves so gracefully on the floor and through the air like a ballerina, yet the ball is hit with the perfect combination of violence and precision. She’s the quintessential example of the famous Muhammad Ali quote. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Volleyballs long for a career change when she walks into the gym.
Eichert took over the championship match with her team down 0-2. In the third set, she had 12 kills to lead her side to a 25-14 set win to continue the match. With Lake Stevens down 15-10, they went on a 13-1 run to flip the set on its head and tie the match two sets apiece with a 25-17 set victory. It all came down to the fifth set, like a year ago in the State Semifinals. When Eichert was a freshman, Lake Stevens made the State Championship Match but lost to a different SPSL opponent, Graham-Kapowsin, in a sweep. Back-to-back fourth-place finishes as a sophomore and junior helped fuel the fire for Eichert and Lake Stevens in the fifth set. It was all Lake Stevens, as they would win 15-7, complete the reverse sweep, and cap off a 24-0 season with the school’s first State Championship in volleyball. Eichert recorded a career-high 46 kills in the title match. If that isn’t clutch, what is?
It took Lake Stevens 12 matches to drop its first set, which came in a 3-1 win at Arlington. The Vikings didn’t drop another set until the title match. Eichert should win her second consecutive Gatorade Player of the Year award, which will be awarded next month. Bellarmine Prep’s Courtney Schwan is the last player to win back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year honors, when she did so in 2012 and 2013. Schwan played for the University of Washington and was the PAC-12 Player of the Year in 2017, and now plays with the Orlando Valkyries in Major League Volleyball.
Lake Stevens had their best year in school history, led by their best volleyball player ever and one of the best Vikings athletes the school has seen. It’s hard to dominate a team sport the way Eichert does. She also has terrific teammates who set her up for one of her famous swings. She defends at the net so well, and she brings a crowd and feeds off that energy. She rose to the occasion when her team needed her most, in the biggest match of her high school career, and delivered. Big time players step up in big time games.
Eichert has an extremely effulgent future ahead of her. Whether it’s on or off the volleyball court. Oh, by the way, she has a 4.0 GPA, in case the whole volleyball thing doesn’t work out. Is there anything she can’t perfect? It might be some time before we see another volleyball player reach the stratosphere of Eichert and Schwan. We’re very fortunate to see those athletes first in the high school ranks.
Congratulations to Lake Stevens on the incredible undefeated season and your first State Volleyball Championship. Coach Hoglund has done a magnificent job with the program. Congratulations to Laura Eichert on all of your accomplishments in high school, and good luck in your post-high school career.
www.elisportsnetwork.com
