Caleb Sjoerdsma has a complex last name, but a simple coaching style.

The Eagles’ girls volleyball coach knew Pine Creek had a commendable culture as he inherited the job this season. Sjoerdsma, pronounced “Shurds-muh,” wanted to implement his style and allow players to maintain their “goofy” nature that created the winning formula Pine Creek has enjoyed on the court.

So, when the Eagles built a 2-0 set lead and, during the set break, as players left the bench to join their fans and playfully chant against Palmer Ridge’s home crowd, he allowed it.

“It’s about being myself as a coach and allowing them to be themselves,” Sjoerdsma said after the Eagles’ 3-1 (25-17, 25-16, 24-26, 25-13) road victory. “I want to put my stamp on this program but not influence it too much. There’s a culture that has been built at this school and a portion of this group knows what to do.”

The Eagles finished with a team-record 26-5 mark in 2024 en route to the 5A semifinals where they lost to eventual state champion Valor Christian. From that Pine Creek squad, the Eagles lost eight seniors and their coach Molly Stowers, who is now athletic director at Falcon.

Sjoerdsma, who coached last season at Liberty, said Pine Creek’s 4-2 record is a reflection of the Eagles’ ability to “lock in” at key moments and players demonstrated that composure in the second set. After Palmer Ridge (2-6) trimmed a 20-11 Pine Creek lead to 20-16, Sjoerdsma called a timeout to regroup.

“I told them we have moments where we’re starting to gel and we also have a few lapses,” he said. “We have new players playing big sets and it’s about finding that comfort with each other and continuing to gel as a group. There will always be ebbs and flows. This is a game of ebbs and flows. We have to ride out the flows and take advantage of those ebbs.”

The Eagles closed the set on a 5-0 run to build a 2-0 match lead, but as Pine Creek began to percolate, that dreaded ebb that Sjoerdsma mentioned thwarted their momentum. Palmer Ridge earned its only lead of the night in the third set and led by as much as six points in the third and eventually won.

“I believe that’s something we’ve struggled with all season,” Eagles middle blocker Morgan Holloman said. “Having momentum throughout the whole game is a struggle for us. But I believe we’re better than most teams because of our chemistry and we knew we had it.”

Holloman, a senior back from last year’s semifinal team, ensured the Eagles didn’t drop another set to the Bears and finished the fourth set with five blocks. Throughout the evening, Holloman, along with teammate Gabby Gallardo, stymied Bears hitters on the right side of the net and placed kills out of reach or crushed a shot at a velocity no Palmer Ridge player could stop.

Pine Creek built a 17-10 lead and Palmer Ridge called timeout to shutter the Eagles’ momentum, but at that point, the Bears had no shot to contain the Eagles’ flow.

“My club training and support from my coaches has been insane,” Holloman said. “I’ve been around a ton of intelligent players and they always coach me on how to know the court and know the game and that’s really important.”

While the Eagles are 4-2 , the Bears fell to 2-6 for the first time since 2015. Palmer Ridge coach Lexie Prowell, also in her first year at the helm after a year as assistant coach, said she and players understand “we are not the same team that we have been.”

But she knows the pedigree of the program, which includes two state volleyball titles and a runner-up plaque in their school’s trophy case.

“We graduated a lot last year and it’s a rebuilding year for sure,” Prowell said. “It’s going to take time, but I believe in them, they believe in us and we all believe in the mission and I know it will come. It’s happening slower than I would have liked but they’re putting in work every day in practice and it’s going to start to show at some point.”