Two of the top teams in the Class 4A Tri-Valley Conference (TVC) open the league season this week in The Dalles, where the Riverhawks will host Crook County.
The Riverhawks will begin their 10-game conference schedule Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. versus the defending league champion and No. 2-ranked Cowgirls (3-0) at Kurtz Gym. The Riverhawks (7-3 in 2023) finished second to the Cowgirls (10-0 in 2023) in the six-team TVC standings a year ago. Both teams advanced to the 4A state tourney last year at Springfield High School. The Dalles won the league championship in 2022.
“I think we can be a contender for the league title along with Crook County again this year,” said The Dalles Coach Teresa Morris. “I think both of our teams will both be ranked in the top 10 all season. I honestly think that if we play like we did against Ridgeview, we can beat anyone.”
The Riverhawks won their home opener Sept. 12 versus Class 5A Ridgefield, 25-17, 25-13, 25-10.
“I was super proud of our team, and everyone played well together, and they really stepped up and took care of business in three sets,” said Morris. “That’s something that we’re trying to work on this year, and we just want to come in and not let up at all during the match. We tend to play one set really well and then kind of have a letdown in the second set. So, we’re working on playing at a high level all the time instead of going up and down. We did a really good job of that against Ridgefield.”
The Riverhawks were led offensively by freshman Jazzy Morris-Holmes (coach’s daughter), who led the team in kills. “Jazzy played an amazing game,” said Coach Morris.
The Riverhawks played in a tournament Saturday at Sisters High School, where they lost 2-1 to the Creswell High Bulldogs (6-5). The Dalles opened its season Sept. 7 in a tournament at Cascade High School in Turner. Among its matches, the Riverhawks faced 3A Corbett (6-1), a squad that reached the 2023 state tourney quarterfinals, and The Dalles lost 2-1.
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