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Bend sweeps Ridgeview and hold the Ravens to a total of 33 points.
Lady Lava Bears celebrate a score.
BEND — Sept. 30, 2026
Someone on the Bend scorer's table wrote "GO BEARS!" across the top of the official scoresheet Wednesday night. The Lava Bears made it look like a prediction.
Bend took apart Ridgeview in straight sets, 25-14, 25-5, 25-14, in an Intermountain Conference match played on the floor at Caldera High School. The final total was 75-33. The Ravens averaged 11 points per set and never got within striking distance.
This is the same Bend team that has already beaten Mountain View twice this season. Wednesday's sweep was another reminder that the rest of the Intermountain Conference is chasing the Lava Bears.
Set 1: Statement Made
Bend took control early and kept building the lead. Ridgeview coach Margie Beeler called her first timeout down 18-11. The Lava Bears kept serving well and kept scoring, and she called her second at 22-13. The timeouts slowed Bend down for a moment, but not for long.
Bend closed it out 25-14.
Junior Harper Kernen gets a spike on two would be blockers.
Set 2: Lights Out
The second set got away from Ridgeview fast. Bend jumped to a 10-4 lead and Beeler called timeout.
Ridgeview didn't score again for a long time.
The Lava Bears went from 10 to 18 while the Ravens stayed at 4. That's at least eight straight Bend points, and Ridgeview used its second timeout down 18-4. It didn't matter. Bend won the set 25-5, a 20-point margin. Ridgeview scored five points in the whole set.
Set 3: No Letting Up
The Ravens came out with more fight in the third set, but Bend never let them get close. Ridgeview called time down 18-9, and the Lava Bears finished it 25-14.
The whole match took three sets and was never in doubt.
By the Numbers
Senior Brooklyn Fobi gives a violent spike.
The Lava Bears: Built to Last
What stands out about Bend is how young the team is. Six of the 13 players on the roster are sophomores or freshmen. Sophomore setter Lucy O'Connell runs the offense. Sophomores Riley Isfeld and Emery Warrick play in the middle, and sophomore Kailyn Cooper plays on the outside. Freshmen Dublin Jensen and Leo Griffin are already on varsity.
There's also plenty of experience. Senior outside hitter Brooklyn Fobi, senior setter and defensive specialist Madison Saunders, and senior defensive specialist Brooklynn Halsey lead the group. Juniors Izzy Limoges, Harper Kernen, Hailey Krueger and Lola Baz fill out a deep rotation.
If this group is dominating like this now, the rest of the conference has reason to worry about next year and the year after.
Junior Teagan Clark avoids a teammate during the match with Bend High.
The Ravens' Side
This season is getting hard for Ridgeview. The Ravens are young too, with freshmen Scout Simonsen and Sadie Heilman and sophomores Jenna Safley and Sophie Robertson getting real minutes. That experience should help later. But Bend's serving pressure gave them almost no time to run their offense, and juniors Lillyen Cucura, Violet Clauson and Teagan Clark had very few clean swings.
The schedule doesn't get easier. Ridgeview goes to Redmond on Oct. 5, hosts Caldera on Oct. 12, and hosts Mountain View on Oct. 14. Bend comes to Ridgeview on Oct. 26 for the regular-season finale.
What's Next for Bend
The Lava Bears go to Mountain View on Oct. 12. That's the game the whole conference will be watching: Mountain View has been on a hot streak, and Bend has already beaten the Cougars twice.
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