Upper Lake volleyball knocks off Fort Bragg in straight sets; Mustangs, Cards fall
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UPPER LAKE >> The Upper Lake Cougars won their second straight North Central League I varsity volleyball match Thursday night, knocking off the Fort Bragg Timberwolves 25-22, 25-17, 25-20 before a large homecoming crowd at the Upper Lake High gym.
“Homecoming was exactly what we needed this week,” Upper Lake head coach Dani Paige Gudmundson said. “The girls came out fired up and played at the level we’ve been grinding for all season. The last time we faced Fort Bragg, it was the start of our slump, and honestly, it weighed on us through most of the first half of the season.”
Fort Bragg defeated Upper Lake in four sets Sept. 9 in Fort Bragg, the league opener for both clubs.
“This group never stopped working,” Gudmundson added. “Day in and day out they’ve been pushing themselves, and it’s paying off. Tonight, they played with confidence and intensity from start to finish. Our defense dug everything, our hitters stayed aggressive, and the energy on the court never dipped.”
It was the second straight three-set loss for the Timberwolves (5-3), who started league play 5-1.
Aimee Schaefers dominated up front for the Cougars with 19 kills and nine blocks. The junior also had nine digs. Also coming up big for Upper Lake were Camila Martin with 32 assists, 10 service points and five aces, Alyssa John with 12 digs, eight service points and six kills, and Kiri McCutcheon with 10 digs and eight service points.
Upper Lake hosts Clear Lake, a team it also lost to in the first half of league play, on Tuesday.
Upper Lake’s junior varsity squad squared its league record at 4-4 with a 25-12, 25-23 victory over Fort Bragg.
“Great game tonight,” Upper Lake head coach Fawn Rave said. “It’s our homecoming and the girls showed up ready and excited to play.”
Kylee Solorio served up nine aces for the Cougars. She also had five assists, one kill and one dig. Jordyn Parker led the team with six kills to go along with four digs, three aces and one block. Kenzie Foley added six digs and three aces while Tillie Boomer had seven digs.
In other NCL I action Thursday:
Cloverdale def. Middletown
At Cloverdale, the Cloverdale Eagles (7-1) snapped Middletown’s three-match league winning streak with a straight-set victory.
“It was a rough night,” Middletown head coach Erika Galvan aid. “We just didn’t have the energy. There were a few times that we were close with the Eagles. Once we got behind, we allowed our energy to fizzle. Hopefully we are able to work that out before Tuesday (home match with league-leading Kelseyville).”
Middletown leaders were Bridget Lisenbee with seven assists, six digs, two service points and one ace; Hailey Williams with five kills; Carly Johnson with eight digs and two kills; and Trinity Galvan with six service points, five digs, five assists and one ace.
Middletown’s JV team improved to 7-1 with a 25-16, 25-13 win over Cloverdale behind a big night from setter Hannah Tribby, who finished with 13 assists, eight service points, four aces and two kills.
“Hannah Tribby made some amazing plays, setting up her teammates 32 times,” Middletown head coach Vanessa Davis said. “She was hustling and leading with grace and confidence.”
Outside hitter Emma Davis led the team with seven kills and also had four digs and two aces. Another outside hitter, Emma Jones, finished with four kills, three digs and two aces.
“Emma Davis and Emma Jones came up big on defense and offense,” Davis said. “We played clean in-system volleyball.”
The JV Mustangs head to Ukiah on Saturday for the Ed Schweitzer Classic. They host undefeated Kelseyville (8-0) in their next league match on Tuesday.
St. Helena def. Clear Lake
At St. Helena, Clear Lake dropped a 25-22, 25-18, 25-18 decision to St. Helena as the Saints snapped a three-match league losing streak.
“The girls played some good volleyball and kept great energy,” Clear Lake head coach Izzy Bonilla said.
Lindee Bingham led Clear Lake (2-6) with 12 kills and also had two blocks. Other team leaders were Atiana Patino with 23 digs, Faith McIntire with five kills and two aces, Triniti Kuecker with four kills and nine digs, Jazmine Wiebusch with 23 assists, Aniya Jauregui with three kills, Ashlynn Cruz with 13 digs, and Avery Fiske with two kills.
The Saints improved to 3-5.
St. Helena beat Clear Lake 25-11, 24-26, 15-9 in the JV match.
Clear Lake’s teams are on the road Tuesday in Upper Lake.
Kelseyville def. Lower Lake
At Kelseyville, Kelseyville’s varsity and JV teams both improved to a league-best 8-0 with forfeit wins over the Lower Lake Trojans.
Both Lower Lake teams are 0-8.
Kelseyville’s varsity plays a non-league match Friday in San Rafael and is entered in a Saturday tournament at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park. The Knights resume league play Tuesday in Middletown.
