Halona played volleyball each of her four years at THS

TOHATCHI – Getting the chance to play the sport she loves and receiving a well-rounded education are the reasons behind Tohatchi’s Latisha Halona deciding to attend Haskell Indian Nations University on a volleyball scholarship in the fall. Halona, 18, signed a letter-of-intent to attend the Lawrence, Kansas-based school on May 19 at Tohatchi High School.

Halona was also recruited to play volleyball by Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla. Bacone is a four-year liberal-arts school and is the oldest continuously operated institution in Oklahoma.

“I’m happy with my choice,” Halona said after the signing. “I will be far from my hometown, but I will be meeting new people and playing for a school that plays at a different level in terms of sports.”

Edwin Brown, volleyball coach at Tohatchi, said Halona played middle hitter and middle blocker each of her four years at Tohatchi. Brown, who has coached the Lady Cougars for eight years, said Tohatchi finished the season 18-6. But before Halona heads off to Kansas, she’ll be playing for the North All-Stars in the annual 3A/4A all-state volleyball game, Brown confirmed.

“She will be playing in the state all-star game,” Brown said. “We are all very proud of her.”

Halona amassed a hitting percentage of .733, 217 kills, 57 aces and 79 solo blocks while with the Lady Cougars during her freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years. The Tohatchi Lady Cougars went to state last year, but lost to Eunice 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Halona said she’s not interested in playing any other sport besides volleyball while at Haskell.

Haskell offers two-year and four-year undergraduate degrees and is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Fighting Indians compete as an independent in a number of sports for men and women. Besides volleyball, women’s sports include cross country, basketball, softball, track and field, and cheerleading.

By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent