Nighthawks volleyball stays unfazed

OAKESDALE — Aside from non-league tournament play facing higher-classification teams, the Oakesdale Nighthawks continue with their unblemished record heading into the final week of volleyball action.

The Nighthawks defeated the Waitsburg Cardinals, 3-0, on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Oakesdale then defeated the Pomeroy Pirates, 3-2, in an away match on Thursday, Oct. 17. Pomeroy is only the second team this season to win a single set against the Nighthawks in league play.

Oakesdale handily defeated Waitsburg in the match with the Cardinals only managing to barely get to double digits once. Set scores were 25-2, 25-10 and 25-7 in favor of the Nighthawks.

Freshman Lyla Kjack led the Nighthawks with 10 kills, with junior Bradyn Henley adding seven. Freshman Megan Crider was spot-on from the serving line, notching 11 aces in the match.

Kjack, Crider, freshman Evelyn Goyke and eighth grader Parker Davis each had one block. Kjack had a team-high four digs, with sophomore Grace Perry adding three. Crider also led the team with 21 assists.

Oakesdale then played a heated five-set rumble against Pomeroy on Thursday, Oct. 17. It’s only the second and third sets the Nighthawks have lost in league play all season.

The teams traded sets back and forth with the fourth set requiring extra points. The final score line read 25-14, 21-25, 25-13, 24-26 and 15-7.

Kjack and freshman Addy Lisenbee led the Nighthawks with six aces each. Crider added 33 assists and Henley finished the night with a team-high 17 kills and three blocks. Davis notched 13 digs in the match.

The Nighthawks played an away match against the Dayton Bulldogs on Tuesday, Oct. 22, after press time. Their final match of the regular season is at home against the Garfield-Palouse Vikings at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24.

The Vikings have a near-perfect record this season with their only loss being a 3-0 decision against the Nighthawks on Tuesday, Oct. 1.