MVHS Volleyball beats Sky Pointe at home

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Volleyball team went up against the Sky Pointe Eagles at home on Tuesday, September 25.
In the first set, Moapa Valley came out strong and looked like the dominant team that Homecoming week fans were expecting. They won the opening set 25-13.

Sky Pointe made things closer in the second set. But the Pirates still pulled a 25-17 win.
Going into the third set, Moapa seemed to falter for a time. Visiting Sky Pointe went neck and neck with the host Pirates and nearly stole the set. But Moapa would get the win 26-24 and complete the sweep.
However, in the midst of Homecoming excitement and high expectations, it wasn’t what the team was hoping for.

“Sky Pointe has good coaching and is a school that’s just going to continue to come along and have had large amounts of improvement,” said MVHS coach Mandie Matheson. “They were maybe better than we had anticipated.”

As for the closer third set, Matheson added, “I think it was just a loss of intensity. I think that was a lesson for us because you can’t do that. If it’s a three set or five set match, you have to play full intensity the whole time.”

Pirate senior Shyanne Matheson finished the match with four kills and Jessi Frei added 18 assists.
A day later, the team went on the road to take on 2A State Champion, Meadows. The Mustangs took the first two sets, 25-19 in each. Now trailing 2-0 in the match, this was a chance for the Pirates to turn their third set woes around.

While the score remained close, the Pirates finally found themselves on top in the third with a 25-22 victory.

In the fourth, it would be even closer, with the Pirates eventually falling by a painful 26-24 final score.
While Moapa Valley would fall in the box score in just four sets, the team was able to find positives amidst the rubble.

As a whole, Matheson wasn’t disappointed with the experience. “Overall, I thought it was a great experience for us,” she said. “We were very pleased to have that competition. Of course, you always want to win, but it’s always good for us to go compete with someone at that level.”

This week, the Pirates will get an exciting opportunity to play host to their rivals to the east, the Virgin Valley Bulldogs. The Bulldogs will come to town Thursday, October 4 at 6 p.m.
Coach Matheson says her girls are confident. “Our expectation is a good, strong, solid victory,” she said. “The girls are ready and know what we need to do.”

Looking past the rivalry this week, Matheson has her athletes ready for the long haul. “We’re going to put our nose to the grindstone and prepare for each game and get better each match,” she said. “So at the end of the season we’re where we want to be.”