Kelseyville improves to 2-0 with sweep of M’town; Lower Lake falls
Lake County Sports
LAKE COUNTY >> Clear Lake and Upper Lake weren’t separated by much during their four-set North Central League I varsity volleyball tussle on Thursday night in Lakeport, but the host Cardinals emerged on top, beating the Cougars 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22.
Faith McIntire finished with 15 kills as the Cardinals squared their league record at 1-1. Jazmin Wiebusch added 39 assists and five aces while Ashlynn Cruz had 20 digs.
“The girls did an excellent job staying disciplined in their roles and siding out quickly,” Clear Lake head coach Izzy Bonilla said. “Their effort and teamwork made it truly enjoyable to watch them compete. Big thanks to the Upper Lake coach staff for assisting with an injured athlete.”
Camilla Martin put together a solid night for the Cougars (1-1) with 16 assists, 10 service points and five digs. Alyssa John chipped in 13 kills, 10 digs and nine blocks while Aimee Schaefer led the team with 15 kills and 11 blocks. Rylee Jones had 10 service points.
“Another tough loss tonight for the Lady Cougars, the sets couldn’t have been much closer,” Upper Lake head coach Dani Paige Gudmundson said. “The girls fought hard every point, but unfortunately minor mistakes at key moments cost us the overall match.”
Added Gudmundson, “Despite the outcome, I’m proud of their effort and determination. We’ll use this as another learning opportunity and continue to put in the work at practice.”
Upper Lake did come away with a win in the junior varsity match, rallying for a 24-26, 25-17, 16-14 win over Clear Lake.
Tillie Boomer helped the Cougars (1-1) win their first league match with 10 service points and five digs. She had plenty of help from teammates Jordyn Parker (four kills, two blocks, two aces), Kyra Santos (six kills, two aces, one block) and Kylee Solorio (nine service points, six assists, four aces).
“Everyone had a part in tonight’s win,” Upper Lake head coach Fawn Rave said. “We are still working things out and the girls have been working hard on serving and covering, and they did great tonight.”
Added Rave, “We went three sets, and all three were close, but they played together to bring home the win.”
Clear Lake’s hits the road Tuesday to play Fort Bragg. Upper Lake returns home to play Cloverdale. JV action at both locations begins at 5 p.m.
In other NCL I volleyball action Thursday:
Kelseyville def. Middletown
At Kelseyville, the Kelseyville Knights improved to 2-0 in league play with a 25-14, 25-15, 25-18 win over the Middletown Mustangs (0-2).
“Much better teamwork tonight,” Kelseyville head coach Donelle McCallister said. “They were playing scrappy volleyball, picking up things that usually are missed. Attacks and serving were strong.”
Team leaders for the Knights were Riley Hanson with 10 kills and five aces, Bella Patti with six kills and three aces, Madison Byrne with seven kills, Madeline Borghesani with 18 assists, and AJ Wurm with 25 digs.
“Tonight we shuffled the girls around little bit,” Middletown head coach Erika Galvan said. “Harley Holley is still out with an injury. Jordyn Harbison stepped up from libero to play outside hitter. She had some good, hard swings tonight.”
Among the Middletown leaders was freshman Emma Davis, who was called up from the JV team to help out. She finished with five kills in her varsity debut. Izzi Hoogendoorn added four kills, Bridget Lisenbee had five assists and three aces, and Carly Johnson finished with two kills and two blocks.
“She did a phenomenal job for us passing and front-row attacking,” Galvan said of Davis. “She had 18 digs for us tonight.”
Kelseyville travels to St. Helena on Tuesday while Middletown visits Lower Lake. JV action at both sites begins at 5 p.m.
Kelseyville’s players are head to Stanford on Friday evening to take in some college volleyball, according to McCallister.
The Knights also beat Middletown in the JV match, 25-18, 25-20, to improve to 2-0 in league play.
Malilany Rico’s 10 assists, Grace Peterson’s 20 digs and Paelynn Beall’s six kills led the team. Olivia Arredondo added three kills.
“The girls played really well tonight,” McCallister said. “After being a little nervous in their game against Lower Lake (on Tuesday), they began moving and talking as a team. They used a lot of skills and techniques taught in practice and transferred that to game conditions. I’m really proud of their efforts.”
Emma Davis had 12 digs, six kills, three service points and three aces for Middletown (1-1).
“The Middletown JVs definitely came to battle tonight,” Middletown head coach Vanessa Davis said. “Unfortunately, we came up a little short in a few areas, including missed serve opportunities and passing errors.”
Hannah Tribby had six service points, six assists and two kills for Middletown while Emma Jones added three kills and two aces.
“The match was exciting to watch,” Davis said. “Both sides really know to play good volleyball.”
Fort Bragg def. Lower Lake
At Fort Bragg, the Lower Lake Trojans dropped a 25-13, 25-22, 25-18 decision to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves, who improved to 2-0 in the NCL I standings.
Olivia Paul led the Trojans (0-2) with five kills, Khaya Chanez added four kills and three aces, and Jamiya Lee-Ayers had three kills and a block.
Lower Lake head coach Vikki Poni said the Trojans were a bit sluggish in the first set after their long ride to the Mendocino County coast but played better and better as the match progressed.
“The last two sets they were happy with,” Poni said of her players. “We’re growing as a team.”
Other Lower Lake leaders were Brooke Watson with two kills, two aces and two digs, and Leanne Ortega with five service points.
Fort Bragg won the JV match in two sets (scores not available).
Lower Lake returns home Tuesday to play Middletown. JV action starts at 5 p.m.
