Host Upper Lake places second in front of Clear Lake, Middletown
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UPPER LAKE >> Four matches and four wins for the Kelseyville High School varsity volleyball team as the Knights, making their season debut, rolled past Ferndale, Anderson Valley and Middletown before beating tournament host Upper Lake in the championship match of the annual Cougar Invitational Volleyball Tournament on Friday at Upper Lake High School.
The defending North Central League I champions appear to be primed for another title run under head coach Donelle McCallister. Ashlyn Wurm and Riley Hanson led the Knights and were named to the All-Tournament team.
Runner-up Upper Lake was represented on the All-Tournament team by Alyssa John and Camilla Martin.
Clear Lake defeated Middletown, the defending tournament champion, 25-23, 24-26, 16-14 in the third-place match.
Middletown, a team that took some big hits to graduation after a successful 2024 campaign, opened the tournament with a 25-16, 25-22 win over Anderson Valley, but the Mustangs lost to Ferndale and Kelseyville in their final two pool matches. Ferndale rallied for a 24-26, 25-19, 15-13 win while Kelseyville dispatched the Mustangs in straight sets, 25-21, 25-18.
Carly Johnson, a senior middle blocker for the Mustangs, finished the tournament with 24 kills, 25 service points, 11 aces and four blocks. Other team leaders were Harley Holley, a senior outside hitter, with 20 kills, 19 service points, 30 digs and six aces; Isa Barnes, a junior opposite hitter, with 25 digs, 19 service points, 11 aces and nine kills; Trinity Galvan, setter, with 47 assists, 25 digs, 19 service points and five aces; and Jordyn Harbison, junior libero, with 42 serve receptions and 34 digs.
“Our biggest hurdle was serving,” Middletown head coach Erika Galvan said. “As a tea, we had 35 service errors for the first day. That is huge. When we have games as close as we did, we can’t make those errors.”
Fort Bragg defeated Anderson Valley in the fifth-place match while Ferndale clinched seventh place with a win over Lower Lake.
Middletown was the only team that reported match scores and individual statistics.
Clear Lake hosts Ferndale on Monday, Middletown is home Friday against St. Bernard, and Kelseyville is entered in the Rancho Cotate Tournament on Aug. 30.
