By ROD NELSON
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley High School Volleyball team hosted two games last week. The first, on Tuesday, Sept. 24 against Sunrise Mountain, was an easy win for the Pirates. But the second, played on Thursday, had the Moapa team up against a much tougher Boulder City rival. That one didn’t end as well.
First, the Pirates made quick work of the Miners. Sunrise Mountain is having a rough year with a 0-4 league record. They came to town looking for a win but were denied by the Pirates.
The Moapa team started the first set with a lead and they never relinquished it.
Andi Hillstead put in her usual solid performance from the serving line. Sierra Bunker played well and had 4 aces while serving. Abbie Evans chalked up 2 aces. Sydney Reese had a few well placed hits and kills. The set was decided as Emma Peay served an ace to close out the set with a score of 25-16.
In set 2, the Pirates started out strong taking a 5-0 lead before the Miners scored a point. The Pirates won the set by a score of 25-13.
Jessie Frei, Andi Hillstead and Abbie Evans had aces while Emma, Sierra and Sydney had several kills during the set. The Pirates concluded the final set and match quickly.
Emiley Lyon had several aces while serving great. Abbie ended the set by a well planned hit. The final score was 25-5.
Things weren’t so easy on Thursday against the Eagles of Boulder City. The arena was almost filled as Boulder City brought a large contingency of people to watch the volleyball match. The atmosphere was emotional, intense and exciting for this match.
A major opponent, Boulder City Eagles has one of the most complete Volleyball teams in the state. They are tall, talented, skilled and well coached.
In the first set the contest was close until the Eagles broke the set open and gained a 15-9 lead. The Boulder City team ended up winning the set, 25-15.
The second set was very closely contested. Each point was hard fought and the score half-way through was tied 12-12. The set ended close at 25-20, Boulder City.
The girls played their hearts out, but the taller Eagles prevailed. Again and again the reliable back court faced tough conditions to set the ball up for a kill attempt. But the Pirate front line could seldom get a spike attack past that tall wall of Boulder City blockers.
In the third set, the Pirates were determined, but were tired. They Moapa team lagged behind as the Eagles won the set 25-12 and captured the match in three sets.
