Lady Bulldogs Lose Close Match With Coral Academy

By BOB SNELL

The Progress

The main thing keeping the Virgin Valley High School Girls volleyball team from getting that elusive first win is consistency, or the lack thereof.

The Lady Bulldogs were swept by visiting Coral Academy of Science from Las Vegas, 3-0, Thursday night at Virgin Valley High School.

The Falcons, who improved to 6-0 overall, won by scores of 25-21, 25-22 and 25-17 to drop the Lady Bulldogs to 0-5 on the abbreviated spring season.

“We just couldn’t put a consistent game together,” VVHS head coach Lori Barnum said. “We were lethargic in places and then played well in other places. We need to play a complete game.”

In all three games, Coral Academy jumped out to big leads, only to see the Lady Bulldogs come storming back. Self-inflicted mistakes, however, cost the Lady Bulldogs at the end of each game.

“It wasn’t any one thing Coral Academy did tonight,” Barnum said. “They did play a very good game defensively, it was our hitting and serving that hurt us.”

Trailing 12-5 in the opening game, Virgin Valley came back to make things interesting. Sophomore Destiny Moeai, who had 24 assists on the night, set up seniors Kynsli Peterson and Kalli Garrett for kills that ignited the comeback. Service aces by sophomore Evia Toone and freshman Reggi Frei, and a block at the net by sophomore Riley Price, cut the margin to 23-21. But two unforced errors allowed the Falcons to escape with the win.

In the second game, Coral Academy jumped out to a 20-10 advantage. A service ace by senior Macie Bowler, two kills and a block by Peterson, plus a kill from Price, got VVHS within 24-22. But a net serve gave the Falcons the victory.

In the third and final game, the Falcons appeared on their way to an easy win by forging a 22-8 lead. The Lady Bulldogs suddenly sprang to life. Two kills from Garrett, one from Peterson and a service ace and block by Toone, helped get Virgin Valley within 23-17. A net return and long return, however, gave Coral Academy the final two points.

“I think we’ve improved since we began the season,” Barnum said. “Our communication has gotten a lot better. We just need to keep working.”

Peterson had 14 kills and 18 digs for the Lady Bulldogs with Frei adding 23 digs and three kills. Senior Ashley Quirarte-Aguilar notched 10 digs while Toone added eight digs and three kills. Bowler had seven digs and Moeai five to go along with her 24 assists. Garrett had six kills and Price four.