Oregon City HS volleyball leader celebrates Senior Night ahead of 6A playoffs

OREGON CITY, Ore. (KPTV) - In this High School Spotlight, FOX 12 highlights a volleyball leader from Oregon City High School who has been around the team since she was in kindergarten.

Senior Night was Sammi Night at Oregon City High School.

“I watched girls from when I was younger go through senior night, so I have kind of been through it all,” Sammi Keightley said.

Keightley has seen a dozen years of Oregon City High School volleyball players come and go.

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“I actually used to come to practices ever since I was 5 with my dad, so every day it’s kind of been my roots,” she said.

The lone senior captain for the Pioneer Class of 2023 is now one of her father’s players. Doug Keightley has been assistant coach at Oregon City for nearly 30 years.

Keightley’s straight shooter dad sure smiles a lot about his straight-A student on the Honor Society who wants to study pre-med to become a doctor.

“My dad is really my best friend. He is my best friend and I love - even if it’s not about volleyball, if it’s about academics - I can talk to him about anything, and I really think those drives kept us close and it was a good bonding experience and made me a homebody for sure,” she said.

Country roads take me home with the daily drives from the Keightley homestead in Woodburn to the OC and back.

“I grew up going to the rodeos every day with my dad being a pro bull rider,” said Keightley.

Dad was trying to hang on for the full eight while Keightley was saddled up in St. Paul alongside her horses, Duke and Dakota.

“It’s a small community, so just having to really connect with people down there and then bringing it to Oregon City and trying to find my own friends and it really helped. It made it easy for me to connect with other people and just go outside of my comfort zone,” she said.

The 17-year-old baby of the family and defensive specialist for the Pioneers is rolling towards the playoffs for head coach Erica Frafjord and the undefeated Three Rivers League Champions from Oregon City High School.

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“I’ve always felt family through every person I have met through the years,” she said.

After the past three decades on Pioneer court, Papa Keightley was proud on Senior Night but the tears never came out of the chutes.

“No, he’s a bull rider! He doesn’t cry,” Keightley said.

Senior Nights are always ones to remember, and Keightley will remember hers as the lone senior for the Pioneers who now prepare for the 6A playoffs out of the Three Rivers League.

If you think you or someone you know deserves a high school spotlight, please reach out to Nick Krupke at nick.krupke@kptv.com.

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