By GANNON HANEVOLD
Moapa Valley Progress
Moapa Valley’s volleyball team got their final taste of the out-of-league play for the season last week in a home match against Pahrump. The Pirates looked solid as they cruised past the Crusaders in just three sets.
In the first set, the Pirates were completely dominant. They seemed to make it look easy as they simply put point after point on the scoreboard. They won the first set 25-8.
In the second set, Pahrump kept the contest a whole lot closer. But the Pirates still held a consistent lead and the Crusaders were never able to fight all the way back into the game. Ultimately, Moapa Valley took a commanding 2-0 lead with their 25-18 win in the second set.
In the third set, the Pirates continued to slow down and things were looking up for Pahrump. The Trojans led 19-13 in a do-or-die third set. However, the Pirates had their minds set on rolling past their opponent, and they certainly got their home fans in attendance fired up.
Moapa Valley put up point after point on the board as they finished on a 12-0 run to win the third set by a final score, 25-19.
In the end of the third set, the Pirates dominance echoed through the gym, and the players were visibly excited about the way they finished off their opponent.
In the match, Eden Whitmore led the team with 13 kills, while Jay Blasingame and Shelbi Walker added 5 and 6 of their own, respectively.
The team leader in digs was junior Kessa Evans, with a total of 24 for the day.
In the assist category, junior Madison Bush set up many of her teammates’ opportunites with a team high of 12 assists.
This week, the Pirates host the Chaparral Cowboys. Then on Thursday, they will travel to Del Sol High School for their first seasonal match with the Dragons.
Last year, Moapa Valley didn’t lose a single set to either of those teams, winning two matches 3-0 against both of them in the regular season.
Things are now looking good for Moapa, and they hope to keep it going in next week’s pair of key contests.
