Trojans, Cardinals, Cougars fall short in NCL I action
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KELSEYVILLE >> The St. Helena Saints put up a good fight the entire way before the Kelseyville Knights emerged with a 25-22, 22-25, 25-13, 25-19 victory in North Central League I varsity volleyball action Tuesday night in Kelseyville.
The Knights improved to 3-0 in the league standings and 5-1 overall. They are one of only two undefeated teams left, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves being the other.
“St. Helena was scrappy and picked up a lot of balls by chasing them down,” Kelseyville head coach Donelle McCallister said. “They also were really strong on serve receive.”
Setters Ashlyn Klien and Riley Hanson had a strong passing night with 18 and 13 assists, respectively. They fed a front row anchored by Nyejzniya Krohn’s 13 kills (.314 hitting average on the night).
Matisyn Mateer led the team with four blocks while Bella Patti amassed 23 digs.
“Cali Schnabl continues to be the primary serve receive person on the floor,” McCallister said.
Added McCallister, “Our team continues to work on consistency in the attack and at the service line. I am proud of how they work hard to improve each day.”
Kelseyville hits the road Thursday to play Upper Lake (0-4). Junior varsity action starts at 5 p.m.
In JV action Tuesday, Kelseyville beat St. Helena 25-22, 25-18 to improve to 3-0 in league play. Grace Hobbs and Olivia Bushey powered the offense with six kills apiece.
Also for the Knights, Brooklyn Young led the team with 10 assists and Aubrey Sperber had four aces.
In other NCL I action Tuesday:
Middletown def. Lower Lake
At Lower Lake, Middletown recorded its first league win with a 25-17, 25-17, 25-9 victory over the Lower Lake Trojans.
“The team continues to improve,” Middletown head coach Norberto Quiroz said. “Many facets of the game are coming along.”
Makayla Mace’s 13 kills led the Mustangs. Teammates Carly Johnson and Mia Hoogendoorn also turned in strong performances, Johnson with eight kills, four blocks and 10 digs, and Hoogendoorn with nine kills, 13 digs and nine aces. Isa Barnes added 25 assists and nine digs.
Middletown (1-2) travels to Fort Bragg (3-0) on Thursday night.
Lower Lake dropped to 0-4 in the league standings despite playing well in the first two sets against the Mustangs, according to head coach Shannon Tubbs.”
“We are getting better, we’re just not over that jump yet,” Tubbs said. “Hopefully soon we can get into the other side of the win-loss column.”
Tubbs had high praise for a trio of Lower Lake players.
“Jamiya Lee-Ayers played a great game on the net tonight, had some good blocks and a couple of nice attacks,” Tubbs said. “Brooke Watson played well tonight too. Her sets are coming along, and Brooke Benson has continued to be invaluable as a team leader.”
Lower Lake hosts St. Helena (1-2) on Thursday with JV action beginning at 5 p.m.
In the JV match Tuesday, Middletown defeated Lower Lake 26-24, 25-12 to up its league record to 2-1. Izzi Hoogendoorn led the Mustangs with seven aces and one kill while Samantha Maccario led the team with five aces. Bridget Lisenbee added three aces, two kills and eight assists.
“We got off to a rocky start but were able to regroup and play solid in the second set,” Middletown head coach Erika Galvan said.
Fort Bragg def. Clear Lake
At Lakeport, in a battle of 2-0 teams, defending league champion Fort Bragg prevailed in a four-set battle, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18.
Kaylah Billig led the Cardinals with 11 kills and three blocks while Lindee Bingham added six kills. Setter Emily Gersalia logged 16 assists.
“Regardless of our effort we couldn’t finish off strong,” Clear Lake head coach Izzy Short said. “This game was a great learning opportunity to grow as a team.”
Clear Lake (2-1) hosts Cloverdale (3-1) on Thursday. JV action starts at 5 p.m.
In the JV match Tuesday, Fort Bragg beat Clear Lake 25-20, 25-16. Kiara Hopkins had four kills and Avery Fiske three kills for the Cardinals (2-1).
“The Cardinals struggled to get in rhythm,” Short said. “Therefore, we are going to be focused on playing our game in upcoming matches.”
Cloverdale def. Upper Lake
At Cloverdale, the Upper Lake Cougars took Cloverdale to five sets when the two teams met earlier this month in Upper Lake, but the host Eagles dominated the rematch, winning 25-7, 25-9, 23-25, 25-15.
Cloverdale improved to 3-1 in the league standings while Upper Lake fell to 0-4.
No individual statistics were reported.
Upper Lake returns home Thursday to play Kelseyville (3-0). JV action starts at 5 p.m.
Cloverdale also swept the JV match, prevailing 25-15, 25-11.
No individual statistics were reported.
