Laura Eichert and Xander Gordon were selected as the KRKO Russell & Hill Student Athletes of the Month for September.
Laura Eichert is finishing her senior season at Lake Stevens High School. The 6-foot outside hitter has claimed several volleyball accolades throughout her years as a Viking, some including 2024-25 Washington State Volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year, 2024 Washington State Volleyball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State First Team selection, 2024 All-Wesco 4A First Team selection, 2024 Everett Herald Volleyball Player of the Year, Fall 2023 All-Wesco First Team selection and Fall 2022 All-Wesco First Team selection.
Since Eichert’s freshman year in 2022, Lake Stevens has concluded three of its four seasons with undefeated league records (2022, 2023 and 2025) and only conceded one league defeat in 2024. Also in 2022 and 2023, the Vikings finished runner-up in the 4A District 1/2 tournaments and brought home second- and fourth-place 4A state trophies, respectively. However, in 2024, Lake Stevens claimed the district title and finished fourth at the state tournament. And at the end of her junior season, Eichert recorded 746 kills, 289 digs, 57 aces, 49 blocks and 47 assists while earning .464 kill and .343 hitting percentages.
This past weekend, the second-seeded Vikings toppled first-seeded Skyline 3-0 to repeat as 4A District 1/2 champions. Lake Stevens is seeded No. 2 at this year’s state tournament and battles 15th-seeded Davis in the Round of 16 on Friday, Nov. 21 at 9:45 AM at the Yakima Valley SunDome. The Vikings also currently hold a 20-0 overall record.
After graduating in the spring, Eichert will continue her volleyball journey at the University of Oregon. But before all of that, she was also named as one of 18 players who will take part in the in the Under Armor Next All-American Game, hosted at The Venue at the University of Central Florida on Jan. 1.
Xander Gordon is finishing his senior year at Shorewood High School, and he recently claimed the 3A District 1 and 3A Wesco League singles titles, qualifying him for the 2026 Class 3A boys state tennis tournament in Vancouver in May.
But this won’t be Gordon’s first trip to a state tournament. As a sophomore during the 2023-24 season, he qualified for the 2024 state tournament in the doubles bracket with then-junior Peter Kosten. The two maneuvered their way to the fifth-eighth place match where they took eighth, helping Shorewood finish fourth as a team out of 30 schools. That result also came after the pair claimed the 3A District 1 doubles title. As a junior during the 2024-25 season, Gordon and then-senior Kosten returned to the state tournament and advanced again to the fifth-eighth place match. But this time they were victorious, placing fifth and helping the Stormrays finish third out of 24 schools.
Outside of the high school season, Gordon has also competed in several tennis tournaments. In July 2023, he partnered with Shorewood’s Garibay Romero, and the two were ousted in the Snohomish Summer Smash mixed-doubles semifinals. A year later, the pair advanced past the semifinals and won the mixed-doubles gold title; Gordon also finished second in the boys gold singles division. In the Shoreline Slam Tennis Tournament this year, Gordon claimed the boys gold singles title and finished second in the gold mixed-doubles division.
After graduating in the spring, Gordon will pursue a degree in computer science.
“Outside of school, I love tutoring and helping others learn. I hope to pursue computer science in college while also continuing to play tennis,” he said. “My grandma is still playing tennis even in her 80s, and I hope I can stay in shape like her and continue playing tennis for as long as I can.”