Mustangs complete suspended match, rally past Saints; Cougars wrap up season
Lake County Sports on Facebook
LAKE COUNTY >> Isa Barnes recorded 43 assists and Mia Hoogendoorn finished with 24 kills ad 46 digs as the Middletown Mustangs completed a suspended match with St. Helena, rallying for a 27-29, 25-21, 27-25, 25-22 victory in North Central League I varsity volleyball action early Wednesday afternoon in Middletown.
Play began where it left off last Thursday in Middletown when a PG&E power shutoff darkened the Tallman Gym. St. Helena had already won the first set and was leading 18-16 in the second set, the point at which the match resumed Wednesday in Middletown. The Mustangs not only came back to win that set second, but they won both the third and fourth sets to take the win and guarantee themselves no worse than a third-place finish in the final league standings.
“These girls battled both last week and today,” Middletown head coach Erika Galvan said. “Today we began we left off in the second set (trailing 18-16). The girls came in fierce and won the set. The Saints were not giving up. We kept trying new things to shake up their defense. It ended up working out.”
Both of Middletown’s matches with St. Helena proved to be quite eventful this season. After St. Helena defeated Middletown in five sets Sept. 24 in St. Helena, dropping the Mustangs’ league record to 2-3 at the time, head coach Norberto Quiroz resigned and Galvan, the junior varsity head coach, took over the varsity as well. Middletown has gone 7-1 in league play since, the only loss coming to Kelseyville (11-2).
Barnes, a sophomore setter, and Hoogendoorn, a senior outside hitter, definitely had their A-games working Tuesday.
“Mia played smart and strong with her attacks, and didn’t’ let up,” Galvan said. “Our setter, Isa Barnes, really set up the girls well today.”
In addition to her team-leading 46 digs and 24 digs, Hoogendoorn added seven service points, two aces and one block. Barnes, who has more single-season assists (543) than any other Middletown player going back to 2017, added 12 digs, eight service points, five aces and one kill.
Other team leaders were Makayla Mace with 39 digs, 13 kills, seven service points and one ace, Harley Holley with 11 service points, 10 digs, five kills, two aces and one assist, Carly Johnson with seven kills, five service points, three aces and two assists, and Beverly Fetters with 33 digs.
“It was a great win,” Galvan said. “Their energy was electric.”
Middletown hosts Clear Lake on Thursday night to close out league play and regular season. The Mustangs will honor their seniors prior to the match.
In other varsity action Wednesday:
St. Helena def. Upper Lake
At St. Helena, after losing to the Middletown Mustangs on Wednesday afternoon in Middletown, the Saints returned home Wednesday night to beat the Upper Lake Cougars 25-17, 25-19, 18-25, 25-13 in the league finale for both teams.
Upper Lake finishes up at 3-11 in the league standings while St. Helena closes at 9-5.
“As we conclude our season in St. Helena, I can’t help but notice that our team has faced similar challenges in every game this season,” Upper Lake head coach Dani Paige Gudmundson said. “Our communication, footwork and missed serves have consistently been our downfall. However, we’ve also seen that when we address these areas, our performance reaches a whole new level. On the flip side, when we neglect these aspects, we struggle to recover from a slump.”
Aimee Schaefers’ eight kills and eight blocks powered the Cougars in their season finale. Alyssa John finished with seven kills, five service points and 10 digs while Angelina Rivera added seven kills, 12 blocks and eight digs.
Other leaders were Alyson Gomez and Riley Jones, both with 10 service points and eight digs.
“Despite the loss, there were some standout moments in the game,” Gudmundson said. “Angelina Rivera’s performance was truly impressive, ending the night with 12 blocks. Aimee Schaefer and Alyssa John showcased strong net play with eight and seven kills. Additionally, bringing freshman Riley Jones from JV to play with us this week proved to be a great decision. Her net coverage and serves were a valuable addition to our team.”
Added Gudmundson, “It’s bittersweet that the season is coming to an end, and I will truly miss our three seniors. I wish them the best in their future endeavors.”
Upper Lake’s junior varsity team ended a down season on an up note, beating St. Helena 25-22, 25-22. The Cougars end up 2-12 in league play.
Karime Martin’s 10 service points led the way for Upper Lake. Abigail Suzon finished with four service points, one kills and one block while Alyssa John had seven service points, three aces, one block and one kill.
“Last game of the season and all the girls got some playing time,” Upper Lake head coach Fawn Rave said. “We had some good runs at the service line and a few good rallies. We ended the season with a win.”
