Grant Union’s Drew Williams serves the ball during her team’s match with Oakland in the opening round of the 2A state volleyball tournament on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, at Grant Union High School.

JOHN DAY — The Grant Union volleyball team hosted the Oakland Oakers in a first-round state playoff matchup on Saturday, Oct. 29, and fell 3-1 despite a gutsy effort from the squad. The loss ends Grant Union’s season and leaves them with a 19-10 mark for the 2022 volleyball campaign.

The first game of the match saw Oakland storm out to an 11-4 lead, which forced a timeout by the Lady Pros. Grant Union would regroup following that timeout to draw to within one at 17-16 and force the Oakers into a timeout of their own in an attempt to stifle the Lady Pro run.

The Lady Pros would tie Game 1 at 18 and then again at 20 following a timeout. But Oakland would recover and score three straight to take a 23-20 lead and force another Lady Pro timeout.

This time, the Oakers were unaffected by the timeout and went on to close the game out 25-21 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Game 2 started much like the first with Oakland building an early 13-9 lead which led to a Lady Pro timeout. The Oakers would continue to push their lead following the timeout, going up 20-15 and forcing the Lady Pros to call time again.

Once again the Oakers would be undeterred by the timeout, winning Game 2 by the same 25-21 margin they won the first game. The Lady Pros were now down 2-0 and facing the end of their season in Game 3.

The third game started with a 2-2 tie before the Lady Pros rattled off five straight points to take a 7-2 lead. That lead would increase to 11-5 and force an Oakland timeout.

The Lady Pros were relentless following the timeout, increasing their lead to 19-9. The Oakers launched a furious comeback attempt, drawing to within five points at 19-14 before a Lady Pro timeout made in an attempt to settle the squad in the face of the Oakland rally.

The Lady Pros dug in following that timeout and pushed their lead to 24-19, prompting the Oakers to call their own timeout. The Lady Pros had already decided that they were the owners of Game 3, however, scoring the decisive point right after the timeout to win the game 25-19 and cut the Oakland lead in half at 2-1.

The decisive fourth game started tight, with ties at 7 and 12 apiece. Oakland would eventually break the deadlock and go up 14-12 to force a Lady Pro timeout. Oakland would extend that lead to 19-14, which caused the Lady Pros to again stop the action in hopes of keeping their season alive.

The Oakers would outscore the Lady Pros 6-3 following that timeout to win the game 25-17 and the match 3-1.

Grant Union head volleyball coach Mariah Moulton said the match with Oakland was frustrating because the Lady Pros beat themselves. “The girls and I know that we are a better team than what we showed, but we are eager for next year to come out and showcase our potential,” Moulton said.

Moulton also spoke to the sudden coaching change the team had to deal with midway through the season and praised the ability of her team to adapt. “Overall, I am proud of how the girls were able to flip the switch and turn their season around when there was a huge change in coaching halfway through,” Moulton said.

The future of Grant Union volleyball is bright, according to Moulton, who is looking to build a gritty and dominant culture within the program. “The future of Grant Union volleyball is building a team who is committed, confident, believes in their abilities, is able to push through hardships, and dominates their opponents,” she added.