RAPID CITY There are go-to hitters in the sport of volleyball. Keeara Oakley fits that definition for the Parkston High School volleyball team. Oakley, a 5-foot-9 junior middle hitter, entered the state tournament with 585 kills in 36 matches in helping Parkston reach the Class B state tournament and she didn’t slow down once she got to Rapid City. Oakley led hitters in the Class B bracket with 50 kills in 10 sets, a clip of five kills per set. That included 22 kills in the quarterfinal loss to Bennett County, 17 kills in the consolation round victory over Herreid/Selby Area and 11 kills against Gayville-Volin in the fifth-place match. Warner’s Jaycee Jung finished with 52 kills but did it in 11 sets. Oakley was also the tournament’s top scorer with 66. 5 points, putting up 10 aces, five solo blocks and three block assists in three matches. Oakley was also fourth in tournament digs, as well, with 5. 3 digs per set, finishing as one of the 12 Class B all-tournament selections. As coach Brooklyn Schauer put it, Oakley takes on a lot of responsibility for the Trojans. “She’s our go-to for literally everything,” Schauer said. “She knows she can be that type of player for us, and she wants the ball. She can handle it. I’m so thankful for her because she does everything, and she has a great attitude.” Having a hitter with more than 600 kills is rare but not unheard of. Schauer finished her first season coaching at Parkston, but previously, she coached TyAnn Mortenson at Faith, who was a similarly powerful hitter for the Longhorns and ended her career as the school’s all-time kills leader. “I compare Keeara and TyAnn because they’re both powerful hitters and they’re capable,” Schauer said. The Gayville-Volin volleyball team finished as the fifth-best volleyball team in Class B this season, based on their consolation bracket title in Rapid City on Saturday. Given they only had nine players on the roster, that’s no small accomplishment. “We were calling ourselves the little team that could,” coach Allison Jones said. “Even still, we are a shorter team than some. But we have some great athletes, and I wouldn’t change the roster if I could. Those are great girls.” Jones said all of the players were returners, so she had a good sense that they would be able to handle a demanding varsity season. “It makes practices difficult with only nine girls, but we manage,” Jones said. “That has not affected our play, obviously.” Well, how does practice work in that case? “We put up some props and then thankfully we’ve got a few young coaches that are willing to get in there and practice, as well,” Jones said, with a smile. She’s one of those coaches, a former Mount Marty University volleyball player who is in her third year coaching the Raiders. Assistant coach Tiffany Pelton, an Avon High School alumna, also helps with practice. The Raiders will graduate senior libero Taylor Hoxeng and middle hitter Kayden Bye. But the other seven players are all set to return, giving the Raiders a pretty strong base to work from in future seasons.
https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/sports/prep/state-volleyball-notebook-parkstons-keeara-oakley-continues-big-hitting-in-class-b-bracket