THE DALLES — Astoria beat The Dalles in five sets in the third/fifth-place match at the 2026 Class 4A state volleyball tournament Nov. 6-7 at North Bend High School.
The Riverhawks won their quarterfinal match in the eight-team tourney, 3-2, over Cascade Christian but lost 3-0 to eventual champion Valley Catholic in the semifinals before the loss to Astoria. The Dalles (20-6) had qualified for state by winning the Tri-Valley Conference for the second year in a row.
Valley Catholic beat Marist for the 4A championship.
The Dalles won the first and fourth sets to force a 15-point tiebreaker Saturday afternoon against Astoria. The Fishermen controlled the fifth set after taking a 5-0 lead behind left-handed middle hitter Kyah Gohr — a unanimous all-tourney selection. The Dalles’ junior Jazzy Morris-Holmes had five kills in the deciding set - her last one pulled the Riverhawks within 13-8. Two kills by Evelyn Rogers helped The Dalles stave off two match points.
Morris-Holmes and Taylor Tuia were second-team all-tourney selections for Coach Teresa Morris’ team.
Valley Catholic beat The Dalles 25-17, 25-15, 25-17 in the semifinals. The Valiants pulled away from a 9-7 lead in the second set with a 5-0, scoring run.
The Riverhawks’ win at state over Cascade Christian (20-6) was a grueling, back-and-forth gem. The Dalles won the first two sets — 25-23, 28-26 — before Cascade Christian took the next two (25-17, 25-23). The tiebreaker was tied seven times. Morris-Holmes exerted herself from the left side with kills leading to three successive points and an 11-11 tie. The Dalles took its first lead, 13-12, on Katelyn Dewey’s stuff block.
The Dalles broke a 14-14 tie with a kill shot from Rogers and a dink for a point from Morris-Holmes.
Three seniors — Edie May, Rogers and Manuia Crichton-Tunai — capped their careers in North Bend. They were part of two Tri-Valley Conference titles, a second-place state finish (2025) and four state tourney appearances (part of a five-year streak).
The Dalles qualified for the final eight tourney with a 3-0 home win over Marshfield in a state playoff match, Oct. 31.
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