YAKIMA — The Almira/Coulee Hartline Warriors concluded their 2026 season with a sixth place finish in the WIAA 1B State tournament. The road there was tough, but the Warriors proved themselves each time as they competed until the very end of their season. 

“I think at the beginning of the season, I expected a lot less, which I feel bad about just because now holding a sixth place trophy, it makes me satisfied with what we’ve done this year,” said ACH senior Dani Isaak. “Originally we didn’t think we were going to come home with a trophy, we had our doubts, so it’s just a really great feeling to exceed expectations.” 

After a competitive 3-2 victory in a close five sets over Morton Wednesday afternoon, the Warriors were set to play the fourth-seeded Mary Walker Chargers at 9 p.m. Playing against a District 6 rival was something Walsh said showed how strong the area is and was something she and the rest of the team were looking forward to. 

Mary Walker proved their strength on the court that night as they put up a tough fight against ACH. Though the Warriors battled once again with intensity, they fell in three sets to Mary Walker and dropped into the consolation bracket the next morning. 

Thursday morning brought a short time for rest and reflection before their first game of consolation against the ninth seeded Pomeroy Pirates. ACH had a hot start to their day as they came into the first set with intensity to build a significant lead over Pomeroy.  

The Warriors built themselves up to a 20-12 lead over the Pirates before the opposition called timeout to regroup. This didn’t slow down ACH as junior Abbi Edwards stepped up to serve and helped lead ACH to a 25-12 victory. 

In the second set, ACH got off to a slight lead, but Pomeroy quickly snagged it away and got up 14-10. The Warriors soon cut into that lead to bring the game to 16-15, but the Pirates held strong to extend their lead and put the set on the edge at 21-15.  

ACH never gave up as they battled all the way to steal the lead at 25-24, but ultimately after a few lead changes Pomeroy closed things out at 28-26. 

The Third set was full speed ahead as both sides remained tied or within a point of one point of each other and no time outs got called until the very end. Though never ahead by too much, ACH started to gain control of the ball late in the game and forced a timeout at 24-22. 

The Pirates closed the gap once again to tie the game at 24-24, but ACH utilized their speed on the court to claim a 27-25 win. 

Pomeroy looked to take complete control of the fourth set early on as they led 7-1 before ACH called time. The Pirates remained ahead for most of the game, but the Warriors dug deep to keep the game within five points at 19-14. 

The Warriors’ never give up attitude once again was their greatest strength in the postseason as they brought the game back to 24-23 and then claimed the lead for the first time that set 25-24. Pomeroy was quick to respond themselves to tie up the game once again, but ACH was able to pull off a 27-25 win and send themselves into the fifth/sixth place game against the Darrington Loggers. 

The first set of their final game was once again a close battle in the beginning, but the Loggers eventually found momentum to gain a 19-13 lead late into the set. Staying true to never giving up the Warriors didn’t stay down long as they cut back in to put the score at 19-17 and force a Loggers time out. 

Things got close as the two teams kept rallying, but Darrington closed things out 25-22. 

The Loggers got an early lead in the second set that was cut by the Warriors very quickly. ACH tied the game at 9-9 and built a lead, but Darrington cut back in again to go up 17-15 midway through. 

The Warriors continued to battle to just under the Loggers at 24-23, but Darrington ended the game at 25-23 soon after. 

ACH worked to make a comeback in the third set and in doing so got a slight lead over Darrington. The Loggers responded and claimed their own lead at 17-12 and from there, despite the Warriors battling until the end, Darrington finished out 25-18. 

With this Almira/Coulee-Hartline claimed sixth in state to finish out their season. 

“Having a slow start to the season and then firing at the end, I was very happy about that,” said Warriors senior Josie Bayless. “We just really showed our community that we had a lot of fire in us.” 

Warriors Head Coach Katie Walsh said the whole experience this season of going to state this season was great for this team. From a five set victory to start their run to a close game on the second day to place in state, each moment brought excitement. 

Walsh describes the 2026 Warriors as ‘The Little Engine That Could’ as they believed in themselves and fought until the very end. 

“We don’t have the most powerful hitters on the team, but we’re always going to give our best effort,” said the coach. “We’re not going to give up on a ball, and I think for a lot of teams that surprised them. No matter how far we’re down, we’re going to keep chipping away and keep trying.” 

Their ability to make it as far as they did in the state tournament took a full team effort, especially toward the end, she said. 

“Having enough energy left at this point to come back in a trophy match, that’s hard,” said Walsh. 

Another impressive part of their state journey was that their only two losses came from Darrington in the finals, the number two seed, and Mary Walker, who went on to play in the championship round. The coach said this success just proves how good this team actually is. 

“This is a really quality state tournament, so for us to even bring home any hardware, let alone sixth, it feels really good,” she said. 

While each player put in effort throughout this season, the leadership and skill shown by the Warriors’ senior players was crucial. Josie Bayless, Dani Isaak, Grace Okamoto and Madison Brink, who served as a team manager during state, each stepped up and gave their all for the program. 

“They know what it’s like to be here and they know what it’s like to see other seniors go, so just their experience and their drive to want to get it done was huge for us,” said Walsh. “We’ve got young talent coming up and the future is really bright for ACH volleyball. They really did leave a legacy here for these girls here to show them the way.” 

Reflecting on their senior seasons, both Bayless and Isaak expressed the desire early on for the senior group to be role models for their teammates. 

“I wanted to be an encourager,” said Bayless. “Just help the underclassmen build their confidence and be that person that they can look to to help them when they need helpEchoing their coach, the girls also said their fondest moments from their time as Warriors were while competing at the state tournament each year.  

“State is a huge part of it,” said Isaak. “We have our little traditions, like, we have places we go to celebrate. Just the whole experience, being able to make really great memories in a hotel room with your friends it’s definitely the best part.” 

BOX SCORE 

GAME ONE:  

ACHW: 13-16-22: 0 

MWKR: 25-25-25: 3 

GAME TWO: 

ACHW: 25-26-27-27: 3 

PMRY: 12-28-25-25: 1 

FINAL:  

ACHW: 22-23-18: 0 

DRTN: 25-25-25: 3 

    Warriors senior Dani Isaak sends the ball over the net during the final game against Darrington in the state tourney.
  

    Josie Bayless, a senior for ACH, leaps up to tip the ball over to the opposing Pomeroy Pirates team.
  

    ACH senior Grace Okamoto responds to a serve from the Pomeroy Pirates as her junior teammate Mallory Isaak watches the play.
  

    Madison Brink, a senior from the Warriors, waves to the audience full of friends and family after receiving the sportsmanship award.
  

    Warriors players show their excitement on the court after Lyndon Boyd (9), a freshman on the team, earned a kill against Darrington.