Tekoa-Oakesdale takes State 1B crown

YAKIMA – Tekoa-Oakesdale owned Saturday night at the State 1B volleyball tournament, edging past a persistent Colton squad 25-16, 25-13, 15-25, 25-23 in the championship match at the SunDome.

Surviving what has become a typical lull in the third game, the Nighthawks gained a measure of revenge against a Wildcats team that defeated them for the District 9 1B title last weekend.

The win gave T-O a 4-1 record against Colton on the season.

“Volleyball is such a game of momentum,” T-O coach Brandy Brown said. “The third game always gets us. Once we got past that, we were fine.”

Cassie Mendoza and four-year starter Kaela Dewan certainly were fine. Dewan has 28 assists and Mendoza 20 kills to power the Nighhawks’ attack.

“Those girls were awesome, but this was such a team effort,” Brown said.

That team effort means a sixth consecutive state trophy, a bookend championship trophy to go with the 2007 hardware.

Colton lined itself up for its shot at a first volleyball title with a 25-16, 25-20, 25-22 win over Seton Catholic.

“These girls really don’t go on about what happened in the other sports,” second-year Colton coach Kelli Dahmen said. “They are all completely dedicated to this sport. They know that this trip to Yakima is about volleyball.”

Colton has won three straight titles in girls basketball and three in softball, with a lineup that sounds familiar to volleyball fans.

Tekoa-Oakesdale, which beat defending champion Almira/Coulee-Hartline in the first round on Friday, had to scratch past top-ranked Christian Faith 25-18, 21-25, 25-10, 24-26, 15-10 in the semifinals.

The defending champion ACH Warriors were eliminated by Odessa-Harrington 25-9 25-22, 19-25, 27-25 in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning.