Following a successful West Central District volleyball tournament, White River High will trek across the Cascades to compete in the Class 2A state tournament.

“We finally have a great squad that the city of Buckley can be proud of, get behind and cheer for,” coach Stryder Argo said after his Hornets clinched a berth for the first time in nearly a decade.

Friday at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash., White River will start off of its run at the Class 2A title against Spokane’s West Valley at 10 a.m.

At districts, the Hornets pulled out a semifinal triumph over North Kitsap 25-17, 11-25, 28-30, 25-11 and 15-12, beating the ninth-ranked team in the state, which will also be making a state trip.

White River earned the right to take on North Kitsap Saturday by squashing Sequim Friday, winning 25-12, 25-7, 21-25 and 25-18 in the quarterfinals.

White River challenged Fife’s crew Saturday in the championship. Fife pummeled WRHS just as it had in the two squads’ previous engagements during the regular season. The Trojans won in straight sets 25-21, 25-18, 25-16.

“Fife has owned everybody they’ve gone up against,” Argo said of a team that finished its SPSL 2A season at 14-0, easily claiming the league crown. “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think any team has won even as much as one set against Fife in the past month or so. Fife is the real deal. No doubt about that.”

The Hornets were the closest squad to the Trojans in the SPSL 2A standings, finishing 12-2 in league. They are now 14-5.