By Mike Weber
For Columbia Gorge News
THE DALLES — The Dalles High Riverhawks enjoyed success in the first week of OSAA Class 4A girls volleyball as they won two of their four non-league games.
The defending Tri-Valley Conference champion Riverhawks (2-2), led by 2025 TVC player-of-the-year Jazlynn Morris-Holmes, won their Aug. 29 season opener at home 3-1 over the Tillamook High Cheesemakers (2-1). They followed with a Sept. 1, 3-0, home win over the Class 5A Crook County High Cowgirls (0-1).
The Riverhawks then faced two very highly regarded Class 4A squads in their next two non-league games at Valley Catholic High School in Beaverton. In a Sept. 3 two-game series, the Riverhawks faced the defending Class 3A state champion Valley Catholic High Valiants (2-0) and they lost 3-1. The No. 3-ranked Valiants moved up to Class 4A this year.
In what was a rematch of the 2025 4A state championship game, the Riverhawks faced the defending state champion Marist Catholic High Spartans (3-2) of Eugene and they lost 3-0. For the Riverhawks and fourth-year Coach Teresa Morris, the outcome was identical to the Nov. 8, 2025, state championship game between the two squads at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay.
“We played very well against Crook County and it was a very good match for us,” said Morris, who is hoping to lead the Riverhawks to the state tournament for a fifth consecutive year in November.
Facing defending state championship teams in back-to-back contests proved to be a tough challenge for the Riverhawks.
“Having a player [Aspyn Rubio] getting injured in the game against Valley Catholic kind of made it a little bit of a rougher time for us because we don’t have a lot of kids on the bench right now,” said Morris, the 2025 TVC coach-of-the-year. “It definitely limited what we could do against both teams since we have just 11 healthy players and now we have two who are injured.”
The Riverhawks have been without senior libero Edie May, a TVC second team award winner in 2025. May is recovering from a foot injury that she sustained during the summer; she is expected to return to the lineup sometime later this week.
Rubio, a junior outside hitter, suffered a sprained ankle in the contest versus Valley Catholic and her return to the lineup is uncertain at this point.
“Despite facing two strong teams like Valley Catholic and Marist, I think if we had all of our players, then they would’ve been much different games,” said Morris. “We’re just hoping to get everyone healthy and have them back in the lineup soon.”
The Riverhawks will play their next contests in a two-game non-league series, Sept. 10 at The Dalles High School’s Kurtz Gym. The Riverhawks will face the Class 3A Trinity Lutheran High Saints (0-1) of Bend in a 4 p.m. match-up. They’ll follow with a 7 p.m. contest against the Class 3A No. 2-ranked Westside Christian High Eagles (3-0) of Tigard, a 2025 state playoff squad.
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