LAKE STEVENS — In the middle of a tough set in Lake Stevens volleyball’s Nov. 23 state semifinal against undefeated Curtis, it was clear to Vikings head coach Kyle Hoglund that the troops needed rallying. The veteran coach, whose Lake Stevens teams had reached state in eight out of the last nine seasons, called a timeout.
With the weight of the moment bearing down on his team, Hoglund deferred to star junior outside hitter Laura Eichert.
“She gave a pretty inspiring speech to the girls of ‘look inside yourself and dig deep and figure out why you’re here… let’s go do this together,’” said Hoglund of Eichert, who is one of three captains on the team. “The girls really responded well to it, and it doesn’t hurt that her abilities are quite inspiring themselves… so she can back it up.”
For Eichert, being a positive voice for her team is just as important as executing the perfect spike, or putting it all on the line for a clutch dig.
“I needed to say something really good that inspired my teammates because we were neck-and-neck with them most of the time,” recalled Eichert who has been named The Herald’s 2024 All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year. “We can rest when we’re done, we just need to get it done and give it our all.”
While the match would end in a heartbreaking loss for the Vikings, it was part of a masterful playoff run for Eichert. The star outside hitter averaged 31.3 kills, 13 digs and 1.8 blocks per game in the Vikings’ fourth-place run at state. Eichert’s performance on the biggest stage earned her the 4A tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
It was a similar story for the entire season, as Eichert earned a Washington State Volleyball Coaches Association first-team all-state nod — and with good reason. Her 746 season kills set her above the competition, as no other player in the state had even 700 this year, regardless of school classification. Eichert also led the 29-7 Vikings in hitting percentage and blocks while coming up third in assists, digs and aces.
Those numbers aren’t only the result of being in the right place at the right time. Hoglund emphasized that Eichert’s refined skillset sets her apart.
“She keeps rising to the occasion and doing things that aren’t normal volleyball things,” said Hoglund. “In our Camas game, I asked her to hit cross-court sharp because their libero was playing back 15 feet. She comes up and hits the ball about eight feet off the net… even the crowd went ‘oh!’”
Being able to hit tough shots at a moment’s notice takes repetition and years of practice. Eichert’s path to this point was carved in part by her family’s attachment to the game from a young age. Her mother, Lynne, played Division I volleyball at the University of Idaho and has coached youth teams. But Laura picked up the game from her older sister, Katelyn when Laura was younger.
“I got in the gym and played by myself for a while, but [Katelyn’s] coaches were nice enough to let me jump in a couple times, which sparked it for me,” said Eichert. “They trusted me and built me up into a good volleyball player.”
The sisters eventually played together at Lake Stevens before Katelyn graduated to play Division II volleyball at Westminster University last season.
Eichert’s recent play landed her multiple offers to play Division I collegiate volleyball. A lengthy recruitment process led Eichert to choose the University of San Diego, where she verbally committed on June 15.
“I knew it was my place,” said Eichert of USD. “The coaches are phenomenal and the campus is beautiful… some of my friends are going there too, so it made it a really easy decision.”
But before she meets the bright lights of collegiate volleyball, Eichert will continue playing year-round in preparation for her senior season with the Vikings. She recently switched club teams and will travel to Salem, Ore. for practices and games with the North Pacific Juniors’ 18 Forefront team.
Eichert believes the additional game reps can help propel her game to new heights.
“Club is a time for me to develop new skills like shots and tooling and working my service-receive to get it sharper,” said Eichert. “I look forward to it.”
Despite having gone to state every season at Lake Stevens, Eichert is still pursuing her first state title. It’s a driving force for the Vikings and Hoglund, who has exit interviews with each of his players at the end of every season.
“The will-be seniors were like ‘we’re going to win state next year… there’s no other choice,’” said Hoglund. “They understand the effort it takes out of season, you don’t just show up and make it work, that’s for sure.”
Eichert holds the school record for kills and is on pace to set records in digs, aces and blocks. But, like her teammates, winning is what drives her.
“We’re going to win state next year, that’s the mindset,” said Eichert.
From all appearances, the Vikings will be back with a vengeance next season with Eichert leading the charge.
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