Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Oakesdale Nighthawks seniors Payton Davis and Brieyn Henley run with the WIAA 1B state trophy to the student and parent section of the crowd. The Nighthawks have now won the state title three years in a row.
The Nighthawk volleyball team with the state championship trophy and bracket.
Bradyn Henley receives a serve for the Nighthawks in a state game.
The Oakesdale Nighthawks celebrate with their first place state trophy.
Payton Davis hits a ball for the Nighthawks in the state semifinal match.
YAKIMA - The Oakesdale Nighthawks entered the state 1B WIAA tournament as the number one overall seed, and did not disappoint, winning the state tournament for the third-straight year.
The Nighthawks cruised through their first two games on Wednesday, Nov. 8, defeating both the DeSales Irish and Odessa Tigers in straight sets.
Their semifinal match was played the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 9, against the Almira-Coulee-Hartline Warriors. The match was a five-set thriller, with Oakesdale coming away victorious, reaching the final.
The championship match was played against the Neah Bay Red Devils, lasting three sets, with the Nighthawks dominant in their victory.
Set scores for the Nighthawks first game against DeSales saw a clean sweep for Oakesdale: 25-14, 25-18, 25-13.
Brieyn Henley had 22 kills and eight digs in the game. Samantha Holling 40 assists in the opening round game.
The next match for Oakesdlae was against the Odessa Tigers, with set scores all favoring the Nighthawks: 25-20, 25-13, 25-20.
This time, Payton Davis would have 19 kills, four aces, and seven digs.
Holling had 35 assists.
The semifinal game against the Warriors saw the Nighthawks trail in the match, but got it together in the end, winning the match in five sets: 20-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-10, 15-9.
Davis led the way with 43 kills and two aces. She also had 19 digs. Holling would add 55 assists to her tournament total.
The championship game was not much of a contest for the Nighthawks, comfortably taking all three sets for their state championship: 25-17, 25-23, 25-15.
In the last game Davis, Holling, and Brieyn Henley would play for the Nighthawks, they all showed out.
Holling had three aces and 41 assists, while Davis had 25 kills, two blocks, and 20 digs.
Brieyn Henley was a solid option for the Nighthawks throughout the year, and showed why she deserves to be a state champion.
"It was a great season! This team worked hard and came together to achieve a big goal of winning a state title. Our Core Covenants were 'Together for Each Other', and this team did that. They were all in and overcame adversity in the semi finals to make it to the state championship. That match ignited a fire in these athletes, and I am proud of what they achieved. They set a goal, and they accomplished it!" said Oakesdale head coach McKinzie Turner about the season.
For the Nighthawks, they lose their starting outsides and setter to college or post-high school work, but have pieces in place to make another run at state in 2024.
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