MVHS Volleyball Defeats Bulldogs In Three Sets

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Volleyball team entered last week with the second playoff seed in the division all but wrapped on a silver platter for them. All that was left to do was take care of two more divisional opponents, and the Pirates could earn a top two seed for the third straight season. One of those two final opponents happened to be the rival Virgin Valley, ready to give Moapa their all.

The first game of the week came on Monday, October 22, on the Pirates’ home court against the struggling Sunrise Mountain. This game came as senior night for the team. The Pirates this year feature four seniors: Hanna Mortensen, Emilie Barraza, Shyanne Matheson, and Alex Peay. These four were able to win their last home game comfortably, defeating the Miners 25-12, 25-10, and 25-7.

However, the Pirates still had one more game left in the regular season. That came on the road against the rival Virgin Valley Bulldogs on their senior night. The Bulldogs, left out of the playoffs with a loss to the Pirates, gave Moapa Valley all they could handle.

Through the first two sets, the Pirates met their expectations, winning it 25-14 and 25-10. However, in the third set, things looked rocky, as if the Bulldogs might just be able to steal a set. Ultimately, Moapa would narrowly win it 26-24, ending Virgin Valley’s season.

But unforced errors on the Pirates’ side made things closer than Coach Mandie Matheson thought necessary.
“Virgin Valley was kind of playing out of their minds,” Matheson said. “Going in, we knew they generally play up for the Pirates in any sport. They played much better than they did when they came here.”
“I thought our girls did a good job keeping their composure,” Matheson added. “They went in and took care of business, never really looked scared, and they left with a three set victory.”

The Pirates finish 8-2 in the regular season, and wrap up the second seed in the Sunrise division for playoffs. They open their postseason with a game against the Western Warriors, and then will likely have to defeat the Mojave Rattlers to book a trip up to Northern Nevada for the state tournament. The regional championship would be Saturday, and could potentially be another meeting with the Eagles of Boulder City.

In order to get to that game, the Pirates would have to win two games first against playoff-caliber opponents. Matheson recognizes that task is never easy.
“You can’t take anyone for granted for even one set,” she said. “We have to go out there and put the pedal to the metal. We recognize it’s going to be a difficult road, but the girls are hungry. They want another shot at Boulder City.”