Mustangs win on road in Lower Lake, Knights turn back St. Helena in three sets
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LOWER LAKE >> The Middletown Mustangs put one in the win column Thursday night, beating the Lower Lake Trojans 25-9, 25-23, 25-13 in North Central League I varsity volleyball action at Lower Lake.
Both teams entered play with 0-2 league records, so something had to give. Carly Johnson powered Middletown’s attack with nine kills, two blocks, 10 digs, seven service points and one ace while Jordyn Harbison (14 digs, 10 service points, two aces) and Bridget Lisenbee (13 service points, 11 assists and three aces) also did their part.
“The girls are really pulling together,” Middletown head coach Erika Galvan aid. “They are doing well with communication and working together. We lost our energy a little bit in the second set, which gave Lower Lake a short lead. We were able to battle back and secure the win in that third set.”
“We need to work at moving our feet better, not getting caught standing up,” Lower Lake head coach Vikki Poni said. “We need a little self-motivation. I’m always proud of my team, but we need to clean up our passing errors and hitting errors.”
Khaya Chaney had three kills and one block for the Trojans (0-3) while Olivia Paul and Jamiya Lee-Ayers had two kills apiece.
Lower Lake is on the road Thursday at St. Helena. Middletown returns home to play Fort Bragg. Junior varsity matches at both locations begin at 5 p.m.
In JV action Thursday, Middletown beat Lower Lake 25-11, 25-9.
For the Mustangs (2-1), setter Hannah Tribby led the way with 16 service points, 12 of which were aces, and 11 assists. She also had one kill. Other team leaders were outside hitter Emma Jones with 14 service points, three kills and five aces, and middle blocker Grace Williams with four service points, three aces and three kills.
“Great match for Middletown,” Middletown head coach Vanessa Davis said. “Hannah Tribby served 11 straight points in the second set. She was on fire with her dominant serve, hitting all the spots. We played a clean match with few errors on our end.”
In other NCL I action Tuesday:
Kelseyville def. St. Helena
At St. Helena, fighting their way through a tough St. Helena defense, the Kelseyville Knights (3-0) retained a share of the league lead with a quality road victory against the Saints, 26-24, 25-19, 25-20.
Apart from the Saints, the Knights had to contend with a hot St. Helena gym and a virus that has been making its rounds through the Kelseyville campus.
“I had one girl who was throwing up before the match,” Kelseyville head coach Donelle McCallister said. “Both teams were lethargic (JV and varsity) because of it.”
The defending league champions still found enough in themselves to pull out the victory.
“They played good, didn’t let down,” McCallister said of the Knights. “St. Helena picked everything up. They are defensively strong.”
AJ Wurm led the Knights with 25 digs, Liberty Lewis added another 15, and Riley Hanson had eight kills, six aces and 13 assists. Other team leaders were Maddy Borghesani with 15 assists and Mati Mateer with nine kills and four aces.
“Matisyn really played well,” McCallister said. “She had only one hitting error.”
Kelseyville’s JVs also improved to 3-0 while handing St. Helena (2-1) its first league loss, 22-25, 25-18, 15-12.
Gabby Keyes powered the Knights with 21 digs and six aces, Grace Peterson finished with 28 digs and three aces, Paelynn Beall notched 10 kills, and Brooklyn Young had eight assists.
Kelseyville’s teams are home Thursday to play Upper Lake. JV action starts at 5 p.m.
Cloverdale def. Upper Lake
At Upper Lake, the Cloverdale Eagles (3-0) kept pace with Kelseyville atop the league standings with a 25-17, 25-19, 25-16 win over the Upper Lake Cougars (0-3), who received a gutsy effort from junior Alyssa John.
“Despite the loss I couldn’t be prouder of the effort our team showed,” Upper Lake head coach Dani Paige Gudmundson said. “Out of our nine players, three are battling injuries. One has been sidelined all season, and another went down in warm-ups tonight but toughed it out to return in the third set.”
Added Gudmundson, “Alyssa John continues to inspire us all. Just four months removed from knee surgery, she rolled her ankle on the same leg yesterday. Most athletes wouldn’t think about stepping back on the court under those circumstances, but Alyssa played through it all. Taped up and braced, she never asked for a break, never complained, and never stopped competing.”
Upper Lake got off to a rough start even before the match with the Eagles began.
“Tonight, we struggled to find our rhythm early, especially with Ava’s injury during warm-up throwing us off,” Gudmundson said of player Ava Witter. “However, I felt we settled in and played much stronger in the second and third sets. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t make enough corrections to turn the momentum our way.”
Camilla Martin’s 13 assists and seven service points were highlights for the Cougars. John, despite finished with six kills, four blocks and nine digs while Aimee Schaefers added seven kills and six blocks.
Upper Lake’s JV team improved to 2-1 in the league standings with a 25-22, 25-21 win over Cloverdale.
“The girls did good working through some adjustments made due to one of our middles being out with an ankle injury tonight,” Upper Lake head coach Fawn Rave said. “All the girls worked hard and as a team to get the win tonight.”
Jordyn Parker had a solid outing for Upper Lake with nine service points, seven of them aces, and five kills. Other team leaders were Kenzie Foley with five kills, two aces and two digs, Kylee Solorio with nine assists and three kills, and Lizzie Fernandez with four kills and one block.
Upper Lake’s teams visit Kelseyville on Thursday.
Fort Bragg def. Clear Lake
At Fort Bragg, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves improved to 3-0 in league play with a 25-13, 25-10, 25-21 win over the Clear Lake Cardinals (1-2).
“It took the team until the third set to show up and play our game,” Clear Lake head coach Izza Bonilla said.
Bonilla said the Cardinals have certainly missed the presence of Aniya Jaurequi on the team this season.
“Although Aniya Jaurequi faced an unfortunate injury during tryouts, her influence on this team has remained incredibly strong. Even from the sidelines, she has stepped up as a leader, offering encouragement, sharing her deep knowledge of the game, and helping her teammates improves with her insight and skill. Her dedication, positivity and presence have truly made a difference.”
Added Bonilla, “What’s been especially meaningful is how her teammates have responded. They continue to look to her for guidance and often ask her to be another set of eyes on the court. They trust her perspective and value her voice, knowing she sees the game with both experience and heart.”
Faith McIntire and Avery Fiske led the Cardinals with five kill apiece against Fort Bragg.
Clear Lake’s JVs (1-2) handed Fort Bragg its first loss, 25-19, 25-21.
Clear Lake’s teams travel to Cloverdale on Thursday. The JV match begins at 5 p.m.
