Kelseyville, Cloverdale meet in first-place showdown Tuesday in Kelseyville
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LAKE COUNTY >> While no one won the North Central League I varsity volleyball championship Thursday, what began as a five-team race entering the night is now down to just two.
Either Kelseyville, Cloverdale – or both — will come away with the pennant depending on how the final week of the regular season plays out, including a titanic Tuesday showdown between the 10-2 Knights and 10-2 Eagles at Kelseyville. The winner of that match is guaranteed no worse than a share of the title. Either team can clinch the outright crown by winning its two remaining matches, and Kelseyville has the tougher road with a Thursday home match against Fort Bragg, a team it lost to in the first half of league play. Cloverdale finishes up at home against Lower Lake (0-12).
As a result of Kelseyville beating Clear Lake 25-23, 28-30, 25-21, 25-21 and Cloverdale defeating Fort Bragg 25-21, 18-25, 25-14, 25-19 on Tuesday, Fort Bragg, Middletown and St. Helena were all mathematically eliminated from the league race. Middletown and St. Helena, both 7-4, couldn’t complete their match Thursday because of a PG&E power shutout that darkened the gym in Middletown. St. Helena was up one set to none and leading 18-16 in the second set when play was halted. Both teams can still finish as high as tied for second place depending on how things shake out around the league next week.
Following is a roundup of Thursday’s action:
Kelseyville def. Clear Lake
At Lakeport, Kelseyville won its fifth straight match despite dropping a set to Clear Lake (3-9). The Knights hadn’t lost a set since falling to Fort Bragg in five sets Oct. 1, sweeping four straight opponents until Thursday night.
Nyejzniya Krohn had 10 kills while hitting at a .360 clip to lead the Knights. She also blocked five shots as did teammate Briana Davis. Ashlyn Klein led the team with 16 assists and three aces.
Two Knights who weren’t among statistical leaders had a major influence on the outcome, according to Kelseyville head coach Donelle McCallister.
“Change makers of the match were Ashlyn Wurm and Matisyn Matter,” McCallister said.
The Cardinals suited up only seven players for the match.
“The team came together like never before, showcasing a level of unity and communication that elevated their performance to a new level,” Clear Lake head coach Izzy Short said. “A special shoutout to our seniors whose leadership and dedication paved the way for the entire season.”
Gersalia’s 18 assists, Lindee Bingham’s 10 kills and five blocks, Kaylay Billig’s seven kills and five blocks, and Atiana Patino’s 13 digs led the team. Other leaders were Aniya Jauregui with six kills and 11 digs and Violet Stewart with 12 digs.
Clear Lake honored seniors Stewart, Gersalia and Billig prior to its final home match of the season. The Cardinals close out the year with road matches next week against Lower Lake (Tuesday) and Middletown (Thursday).
In junior varsity action Thursday, Kelseyville zeroed in on the NCL I championship with a 25-11,2 5-20 win over Clear Lake. The Knights are 11-1 in league play. They were led by Aubree Sperber with seven kills, Liberty Lewis with nine digs and Grace Hobbs with nine assists.
“The girls continue to play as a team, working hard and maintaining positive attitudes,” McCallister said.
Jazmine Wiebusch had six assists for Clear Lake while Kiara Hopkins added four digs and two kills. Ashlynn Cruz contributed two kills, four digs and two aces, and Avery Fiske had two kills.
“The team showed amazing hustle and high energy from the start to finish, refusing to back down even when the game got tough,” Short said.
Upper Lake def. Lower Lake
At Upper Lake, the Upper Lake Cougars honored seniors Angelina Rivera, Alyson Gomez and Hope Marcks prior to taking the floor and beating the Lower Lake Trojans 25-22, 25-18, 25-14.
“The Lady Cougars had an emotional and heartwarming evening as we celebrated our seniors and raised awareness for breast cancer,” Upper Lake head coach Dani Paige Gudmundson said of the annual Dig Pink Game that also doubled as senior night. “The team won in three sets, and it was a beautiful way to honor our three seniors, Hope Marcks, Angelina Rivera and Alyson Gomez, as well as Lower Lake’s seniors.”
Marcks had 20 assists and five service points for the Cougars (3-9) while Aimee Schaefers led the team with 11 kills and nine blocks. Alyssa John added eight kills, eight digs and seven service points Gomez finished with 15 digs and six service points, and Rivera had 11 service points, four digs, two kills and two blocks.
“Hard-fought games by both teams,” Lower Lake head coach Shannon Tubbs said. “We had the lead in the first set and couldn’t close out the last three points up 22-20. We lost the energy going into the second and third sets.”
Brooke Benson’s seven ills led the Trojans (0-12) while Brooke Watson added five digs, Jamiya Lee-Ayers four blocks, and Izabela Hernandez two aces.
Lower Lake hosts Clear Lake on Tuesday before finishing up the season next Thursday in Cloverdale.
Lower Lake beat Upper Lake 25-13, 18-25, 15-13 in the JV match.
Rylee Jones had seven points, two of them aces, three digs and one kill for Upper Lake (1-11). Lily Lando added five service points, one ace and one kill, Addi Vipond had three aces, Abbi Suzor three kills and one block, and Molly Raher one ace.
“Not how we wanted the game to end, but the girls didn’t give up and fought ‘til the end,” Upper Lake head coach Fawn Rave said.
Lower Lake improved to 2-10 in league play.
Lower Lake statistics were not reported.
St. Helena at Middletown (suspended)
At Middletown, St. Helena beat Middletown 29-27 in the first set and had an 18-16 lead in the second set when the lights went dark in the Tallman Gym because of the PG&E power shutoff with the area under a red flag warning.
The match will be completed Wednesday starting at 2 p.m.
Middletown did beat St. Helena 25-19, 25-11 in the JV match behind 16 assists, six service point and three aces from Bridget Lisenbee and nine straight service points from Casi Padilla in the second set.
The Mustangs improved to 9-3 in league play.
Other team leaders were Brenna Goodloe with six kills, Izzi Hoogendoorn with 21 digs and four kills, Hailey Williams with 20 digs and Sammy Maccario with 20 digs.
“The girls knew they needed to put in the work tonight,” Middletown head coach Erika Galvan said. “These girls hustled with minimal errors.”
Middletown’s teams are home Tuesday against Upper Lake and Thursday against Clear Lake to close out the regular season.
