The Dufur Classic volleyball tournament resumed for the first time since 2019 after being canceled the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 12 teams competed in the event Sept. 1-3 at Dufur High School.
The tournament consisted of a playoff type format in which the top-four teams advance through two set pool play matches to meet in the championship round. The South Wasco County High Redsides lived up to their reputation as one of the top Class 1A squads in the state as they took first place. The No. 16 ranked Redsides (2-2), guided by Coach Susie Miles, won 2-0 over the Class 2A Enterprise High Outlaws (5-3) in the championship game.
“We play lots of games in a tournament like this, but the only one that counts for your OSAA record is your last game, which is a two-out-of-three format,” said Miles, who has led South Wasco to the OSAA state playoffs the last four years. “The girls are playing great and we’ve had some ups and downs early this season, but that’s why we play in tournaments, so you can kind of work through some of that. Then when you play games that really matter in conference, you can focus on getting wins.”
On Sept. 1 in Maupin, the Redsides faced a strong Class 2A squad in the No. 9 ranked Weston-McEwen High TigerScots (6-2) and they played extremely well, despite losing a close, five-set match 28-26, 14-25, 21-25, 25-15, 15-13.
“I was really proud of the girls in that match, because we didn’t do a lot of substitution and we didn’t have our full team,” said Miles. “I thought they did really great job of playing lots of volleyball compared to a Weston-McEwen squad that subbed more frequently and their girls were getting more breaks. We’re doing a lot of things really well. We’re serving very well, and our serve receive is good and we’re just working on trusting each other and getting used to who we play with so that we know who’s going to get what ball and what our jobs are.
“... We’re just hoping to continue having success and then focus on our goal of qualifying for the state playoffs again this year.”
Nearly all of the Gorge area Big Sky League teams competed at Dufur with the exception of the No. 6 ranked Glenwood/Klickitat High Eagles and the Horizon Christian High Hawks (0-2) of Hood River. Glenwood/Klickitat was unable to play in the tourney because of COVID health and protocol issues.
Glenwood wins two
The Eagles (2-0), guided by Coach Jaecee Hoctor, opened their season Aug. 30 with a 3-1 road win in Portland over the Mannahouse Academy High Lions of the Class 2A Northwest League. The Eagles followed with a 3-0 win at home over the Bickleton High Pirates (0-1) on Sept. 1. “This sure is a good way to start the season, because it gives us a big confidence boost,” said Hoctor, following the win over Mannahouse. “It feels good to get a win and we had lots of fun. We lost two starters who were seniors and graduated so the girls had some big shoes to fill and they’re doing a good job and they know that they can win games, so I’m really proud of them.
“The first game is always kind of a little bit rough, but they’re getting things figured out with our new personnel out there on the court. We have some new things that we’re trying and so it’s going to take a little bit of time to work out the kinks and just being more aggressive with the ball.”
Sherman off to good start
The Sherman County High Huskies won three two-set pool play contests in the Dufur tournament Saturday with a 1-1 split versus Myrtle Point and 2-0 win against Pilot Rock. The Huskies are off to a good start to their season with a 2-1 nonleague record. The Huskies, guided by Coach Karissa Gorham, play their next contest at home Sept. 9 at 4 p.m. at Sherman County High School in Moro.
“We’re looking pretty strong, and it’s really been a great season so far this year,” said Gorham. “We have some really strong setters and our sets have been good and our serving has been really good, too. We’re hoping to reach the Big Sky District playoffs this year, because we missed it by just one game last season after losing our final game to Glenwood/Klickitat.
“We definitely have a stronger team than we had last year as far as our positions. Morgan Geary has been our top player in all of our games. She’s very consistent and even though her stats are not always the best, she’s like the heart of our team for sure.
“Kaelex Peters with her serving has been really, really strong and she gets at least four or five aces every game. Natalie Martin has been one of our top scorers often, too, as one of our good hitters and she sometimes leads our offense, but that varies from game to game.”
Dufur seeks first win
The Dufur High Rangers (0-3) have struggled somewhat at the start of the season but they’re hoping to turn things around. The Rangers, guided by Coach Jody Weaver, played well in the tournament on the home court even though they didn’t win any matches. Dufur will be seeking to get its first win Wednesday when it travels to Central Oregon to face the No. 9-ranked Central Christian High Tigers (7-1) in Redmond.
“We have a very young team and we’re getting better all the time though,” said Weaver. “We had a rough start at the beginning of the tournament, but we were getting stronger every day. We’re just learning and we’re getting better every day and that’s our goal to just continue getting better. We lost a lot of seniors from last year’s team, so we’re kind of in a rebuilding season now but we have a lot of potential.
“We just have to focus on the basics. We’ve played some really good tough 1A teams and also some good 2A teams. It’s good for us to face strong teams, because now we know what we have to do to improve and get better every day to help us improve our confidence level.”
The trio of sophomore setter Peyton Wallace and junior outside hitter Hayley Peterson and senior outside hitter Allie Masterson have combined to help lead the Rangers early this season.
Seniors bolster Lyle
The Lyle/Wishram High Cougars (0-1) lost their season opener 3-0 to the Pilot Rock High Rockets (2-3) Sept. 2 in Dufur. The Cougars, guided by first-year Coach Shelby Casey, won one set in a match during the tournament, but those contests are not part of each team’s overall record. “We’re doing pretty good so far and we know what we need to work on and we won one set in the tournament against Camas Valley, so we had a good time here,” said Casey, a 2012 Lyle High graduate who played on the Cougars’ volleyball team when she in high school. “I’m having a lot of fun because I used to play for Lyle. We have five seniors who are providing good leadership for our team. We have 15 players now and so we’ll be able to have a JV squad, too, which is just great.”
The Cougars are led by the senior duo of middle blockers Hannah Beeks and Lilly Baker. Junior setter Adalyn Smith is also one of the leaders for the Cougars, Casey said.
Hawks host three-way
Horizon Christian will play its next contest at home Thursday at 4 p.m. in a nonleague match versus the Grand View Christian Academy High Eagles (3-2), followed by an 8 p.m. game against the Columbia High Bruins JV squad. Horizon will compete in the Condon Invitational Tournament Saturday at 10 a.m. The Hawks, guided by first-year Coach Chelsea Cox, begin their Big Sky League schedule with a 5 p.m. game Sept. 13 at Glenwood/Klickitat. Horizon’s volleyball program was restarted last fall after not having enough players to field a team for a couple of seasons. Cox has rejuvenated the program, as 15 players have turned out for the sport this fall.
Commented