YAKIMA — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors volleyball team’s season came to a close at the state tournament at Yakima’s SunDome on Thursday evening where they finished fourth. Despite not finishing off the season with a win, the team was proud of their own efforts and achievements made over the last few months. 

“We came into this tournament with high hopes and we were really excited for it,” said Warriors senior Naomi Molitor. “We just definitely came together as a team, and it really pushed us, and it was a fun tournament.” 

The Warriors entered the tournament with a first-round bye, which pushed their first game to Wednesday afternoon, when they faced Darrington. This would be a close battle between the two teams, but ACH would pull out ahead to continue through the winners' bracket. 

The next game for the Warriors was among the last of the day Wednesday, starting at 9 p.m. against Neah Bay. The teams would battle it out in a close five-set match, but the Warriors would earn the victory in set five, sending the team to the semifinals at noon the following day. 

Warriors head coach Katie Walsh said the team knew that fatigue would be a real challenge for Thursday’s matches, as the players did not return to the hotel until after 11 p.m. Wednesday. The team mindset remained positive as they entered day two of the tournament. 

“We just came into it thinking, ‘We’ve got to give it all we have, put it all out there,’” said Molitor. “It was our last day and we had to give it all we’ve got. 

Coming into the semifinals against Garfield-Palouse, the Warriors fell behind and lost the match 0-3. The loss did not discourage the Warriors as they still had one more game to play that afternoon for third place. 

The battle for third place in the 1B was between the Warriors and Oakesdale. The Warriors started off strong in the first set, gaining a 25-18 win, but would fall in the next two sets, putting the game into a fourth set. 

For the Warriors, the final rally coming into the final set was all about their family dynamic on the team and how this game would be the last chance they would all be playing together, so they needed to enjoy it, said Walsh.  

In this set, the Warriors battled hard to try and push the game into a fifth set with the players diving to keep strong rallies alive and even tied the game at 24, but Oakesdale would manage to pull ahead to take third while the Warriors claimed the fourth-place plaque.  

“Coming into the season, we just wanted to place at state, and we did that,” said Molitor. “I’m really proud of our team.” 

Walsh said that coming into the tournament, the one thing she told the Warriors was to compete no matter what happens, and even when they get down in score, to push their hardest to take the next one. The team knew how competitive it could be at state, but this year, especially, the competition was the greatest it had ever been.  

“(It was) a privilege to be here competing among the best teams in the state,” she said. 

Though the team really struggled in the semifinals matchup against Garfield-Palouse, Walsh said she was proud of how the team rallied for their last match against Oakesdale and going in a strong four sets in the end was a great way to finish off the season. 

Looking back on the season as a whole, she said the grit from the Warriors team was their greatest strength. This was proven in the Northeast 1B League Championship, where they fell two sets behind Mary Walker and pushed themselves to come back for the next three. 

“Just their heart and their grit has been incredible all season long. I knew when push comes to shove, they were going to compete,” said Walsh. 

The efforts of the seniors, Molitor, Emily Evers, Elle Schwartz, Peyton Roberts and Emma Brummett this season played a major role in the success of the team this season as they would often lead the team to play their hardest even when things looked tough, she said. 

“We’re going to miss them heavily, and you know we’ll rebound for next year and find girls to fill roles, but they were a huge part of who we were this year, and we’re going to miss them a lot,” said Walsh. 

Molitor said she will look back on her senior season fondly as she felt they were not only successful on the court, but also in building bonds with one another. 

“Our team is so fun to be around, we just love being around each other,” she said. “We definitely put it all out there and worked hard, so I felt really good about the season.” 

BOX SCORE:  

GAME ONE: 

ACHT: 25-20-25-25: 3
DRTN: 20-25-22-21: 1 

GAME TWO:  

ACHT: 23-25-19-25-15: 3
NEBY: 25-17-25-23-11: 2 

GAME THREE:  

ACHT: 14-16-16: 0
GFPL: 25-25-25: 3 

GAME FOUR:  

ACHT: 25-18-14-24: 1
OKDL: 18-25-25-26: 3 

    Naomi Molitor, a senior for ACH, gets ready to serve the ball during the third/fourth place game against Oakesdale. Molitor said the team came into the tournament with high hopes and is proud of how hard they fought to reach their goals.
  

    Warriors senior Peyton Roberts hits the ball backwards back over the net during the team’s close matchup against Oakesdale.
  

    Senior Emma Bruummett from ACH prepares to spike the ball during the Warrior’s game against Garfield-Palouse in the semi-finals.
  

    Emily Evers, a senior for the Warriors hits the ball back over the net during the semi-finals match against Garfield-Palouse at the state tournament.
  

    ACH senior Elle Schwartz bumps up the ball after a serve from the opposing Darrington during the second round of the state tournament with head coach Katie Walsh watching from the sideline.
  

    Warriors junior player Grace Okamoto hits the ball back over to Darrington in their second-round victory in the state tournament.