The Dalles High Riverhawks advanced to the OSAA Class 4A volleyball state tournament quarterfinals for a second straight year, following a 3-0 first-round playoff victory over the No. 13-ranked Greater Oregon League Champion Pendleton High Buckaroos (13-9) on Oct. 28 at Pendleton High School.
The No. 8-ranked Riverhawks, guided by first-year Coach Teresa Morris, will play the defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Sky Em League Champion Marshfield High Pirates (25-3) in a 1:15 p.m. Friday quarterfinal game at Springfield High School.
The winner will play in Friday’s 8:30 p.m. semifinals against the winner of a quarterfinal contest between North Bend and Cascade. The loser plays in a 10 a.m. Saturday consolation round match-up.
“We were pretty excited, and we went in there and we won in three sets, which is great, because I like quick games like that,” said Morris. “I knew that we could beat them and I’m incredibly proud of the team. This team is actually near the top of the OSAA All State Academic team rankings and we’re No. 3 (3.78 GPA). So, they’re not only getting it done on the court, but they’re also getting it done in the classroom.”
The play-in game versus Pendleton was a rematch of a Sept. 7 non-league game between the two squads, which The Dalles won, 3-2, in Pendleton.
State tourney opponent Marshfield has won 10 straight games and is 25-1 against Class 4A squads this year. The Pirates only setback in Class 4A was a 3-2 road loss to the No. 2-ranked Marist Catholic High Spartans (20-2) on Sept. 26.
The Riverhawks have won five of their past six games to finish in second place behind the No. 7-ranked TVC Champion Crook County High Cowgirls (19-9). The Dalles will be led by a solid group of eight experienced seniors, including TVC first-team all-league recipients Zoe LeBreton and Jeilane Stewart.
Morris said: “Our goal, honestly, was to just make it to the state tournament. They’ve fulfilled that goal and now we’re just happy to go there and show everybody what we can do.
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