Genesee Bulldogs hoist the district trophy

In the district championship, the Genesee Bulldogs had their friends, family, fans and ... a college volleyball team in their corner.

Genesee High School alumnus Makenzie Stout and her Lewis-Clark State volleyball teammates showed their support as the Bulldogs stayed aggressive and efficient in their sweep of St. John Bosco. The Bulldogs hoisted the 1A Whitepine League district championship trophy on Thursday at the P1FCU Activity Center in Lewiston.

Genesee got the sweep by set scores of 25-18, 25-12 and 25-17. Junior Chloe Grieser paced the Bulldogs with 14 kills and 15 digs, Makayla Herman added 12 kills and Kendra Meyer dished out 26 assists.

“Every year it’s difficult, every year it’s hard, every year it’s a new set of girls on the team so really proud of them,” Genesee coach Pete Crowley said.

Hoisting a trophy before State

Genesee has a long tradition of going to state tournaments, but it typically clinched them by way of the play-in game, failing to win its district.

Following Idaho’s high school sports reclassification, the Bulldogs moved from 1A DI (now called 2A) to 1A (previously called 1A DII). Moving down a league gave the Bulldogs a chance to shine against different competition and Genesee capitalized with a 23-4 record and an 11-0 mark against the 1A Whitepine League.

This was Genesee and St. John Bosco’s third meeting in one week.

“It’s pretty cool that we took the short route this time. Like usually we have to go to the play-in game,” Meyer said. “I think it’s really cool that this time we got it on the first chance.”

The Bulldogs had one of their strongest seasons in recent memory.

“I think we were just more confident as a team and worked hard together,” Meyer said.

Grieser sisters set the tone, Herman perseveres

Genesee’s 2024 roster includes two sisters: junior Chloe Grieser and sophomore Miley Grieser.

“Chloe Grieser, definitely one of our leaders, one of our captains, one of our hardest hitters,” Crowley said. “And then her sister Miley is a year younger and starting for the first time. She does a really nice job on the net in the middle and brings that kind of left-handness to it, which is just a little bit different.”

Left-hander Miley Grieser has stepped into a full-time starting role for the Bulldogs.

“I love playing with my sister. It’s so fun,” Chloe Grieser said. “We can hype each other up. And when she was a freshman, she didn’t really get to play, and now she’s like, a full-time middle so it’s very fun, and I love the bond we have together. She’s my best friend.”

Herman, a senior, played through an ankle injury, Crowley said. This did not prevent her from smacking down 12 kills in the championship effort.

“Really proud of (Herman) for her toughness,” Crowley said. “It’s pretty sore and it doesn’t really show up there.”

St. John Bosco’s knack for rallies

The Patriots were boosted by standout performances from Savannah Perrin and Miah Mager. The duo and their teammates combined to force several rallies that lasted close to 15 seconds.

“That’s what St. John Bosco does, they dig the ball, dig the ball, dig the ball — there might be 15, 20 contacts in a rally and one of those that you’re not focused on can be the point,” Crowley said. “So it really comes down to making sure that we’re prepared for that and being focused all the way through.”

In these moments, the Patriots did not let the Bulldogs off the hook.

“I have said this many times to never underestimate these girls, because they don’t need any encouraging themselves,” St. John Bosco coach Jamie Johnson said. “They themselves just want it that bad and I think that was just one of those times they really wanted it.”

Genesee and St. John each got points following long rallies.

“I know for me it’s like a want, like you want to get that point so you’ll do whatever it takes to get that point,” Herman said.

What’s next?

Genesee prepares for the 1A state tournament in Twin Falls, while St. John Bosco will have one more chance to secure a spot in State with a play-in game Saturday in Coeur d’Alene.

As for how the Bulldogs are approaching State, Crowley said his team needs to be aggresive and have fun.

“Just go play, don’t worry about it, it’s just another tournament and you know, no pressure,” Crowley said. “Just have a ton of fun because it should be the eight best teams in the state. It should be a lot of fun.”

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.