Riverhawks volleyball remain in 4A playoff race

“Thank goodness we got a little bit of revenge for sure against them [Rangers],” said Morris, whose Riverhawk squad lost 3-1 on the road to the Rangers on Sept. 19. “I knew when they lost their best player [junior outside hitter Abby Behrman] to an injury in the first set, that we would have to take advantage of that situation. They [Rangers] seemed to be struggling quite a bit after she was unable to continue playing.”

The Dalles built an 18-12 first set lead, but Estacada responded with 5-1 rally forcing a Riverhawks timeout. Later, a kill by junior middle blocker Lacy Hoylman gave The Dalles set point at 24-20. The resilient Rangers closed to within 24-23 when senior outside hitter Jeilane Stewart pounded a set-winning kill.

In set No. 2, senior outside hitter Keiliani Crichton-Tunai’s strong serving helped the Riverhawks build a 10-6 lead. Estacada would get no closer the rest of the set. A kill by senior outside hitter Zoe LeBreton followed by a Hoylman kill pushed the margin to 22-9. Hoylman then capped the lopsided win by serving a game-winning ace for a 25-10 victory.

“We don’t like getting beat and the revenge factor was definitely something that helped to motivate us,” said LeBreton. “It helps give you confidence whenever you can continue winning games near the end of the season, and it also helps provide you with momentum for the state playoffs.”

The Riverhawk momentum continued in the third set when they took a 12-2 lead after LeBreton served four straight points. Stewart later served four straight points of her own to help extend the Riverhawks’ lead to 20-7.

“We needed to come out here and win the game in three so that we could get a higher ranking, and I feel like we executed our game plan well and we played with a high level of energy to pull out a win,” said Stewart. “If Crook County beats Estacada on Thursday, then I think we’ll have a good chance to finish in second place in our league.”

The Riverhawks have won four of their past five TVC matches. They will finish second in the TVC if they win their final three conference matches and likely league champion Crook County beats Estacada.

The Riverhawks reached the Class 4A state tournament quarterfinals last season.

“It’s possible that we could tie Estacada for second place and if we do that, then whoever is highest in the OSAA rankings would get sole possession of second place,” said Morris. (At the time, the Dalles was ranked ninth and Estacada 10th). “I think we’ll have a good chance to win our last three games. Lacy has been like a wall for us and she’s our best blocker … Zoe and Jeilane are both pretty solid in every game and they always play consistently well all around the court.”

The top two teams in the TVC earn automatic state playoff berths. The third-place team qualifies for a play-in round match up with a state playoff spot at stake.