The Naselle players celebrate every successful play, and at the center of everything is captain Peyton Dalton (2) who often seems like a conductor with an orchestra. They played well against Oakesdale, but fell 3-1.

YAKIMA — Thursday night, Naselle lost an unsatisfying contest with Oakesdale in a matchup that appeared to come rather too early in the tournament.

The Nighthawks have built a consistently strong volleyball program and came in ranked No. 1 after winning their competitive district.

Naselle’s draw as the eighth-ranked team meant the Comets win over Pomeroy had them facing the state’s strongest team in their second game.

Oakesdale took the first set 25-16 but Naselle evened the score with a 26-24 set win. The third set seemed crucial. At one point Naselle was ahead. But Oakesdale pegged back the deficit to win 29-27. The eastern Washington team then powered through the fourth to take care of business and advance 25-15.

Coach Rebekah Wirkkala said she is still looking for improvement in serving. “We just need to execute better — but we played really hard,” she said. “The girls were still hungry … but whoever won that third set was going to win.”

The loss dropped Naselle into a lower bracket. The Comets play No. 5-ranked Neah Bay 9:45 a.m. Friday with the winner advancing to a 1:30 p.m. trophy game for fifth or sixth place.

In the 2B tournament, Raymond has powered into the semifinals and will play 9:45 a.m. Friday against Walla Walla Valley Academy.