By BOB SNELL
The Progress
The Virgin Valley High School Volleyball team is still trying to find itself after a week of play to start the 2021 season.
The latest learning moment came Thursday night inside the VVHS gym. The Lady Bulldogs led visiting Lincoln County 2-0 only to see the Lady Lynx come roaring back to win the last three games and leave town with a 3-2 non-conference victory.
Lincoln County prevailed by scores of 22-25, 20-25, 25-15, 25-21 and 15-1.
The loss came on the heels of a 3-1 defeat at Legacy in North Las Vegas on Tuesday as the Lady Bulldogs fell to 1-7 on the season.
“We’re starting to play better,” VVHS head coach Robert Nelson said. “I told the girls after the match they played well, but now we’ve got to turn the corner.”
With the score knotted at 20-all in the first game against the Lynx, blocks by Elsa Whipple and Evia Toone, plus kills by Hana Iverson and Calla Haviland, put Virgin Valley up 24-22 at game point. Haviland served an ace to clinch the win for the Lady Bulldogs.
Trailing 9-6 in the second game, Virgin Valley got kills from Haviland and Iverson, a block by Haviland and a service ace from Nina Miramontes to take the lead for good at 11-9.
Lincoln County looked like a different team in the third game as the Lady Lynx jumped in front 11-5 and then extended the lead to 21-9 thanks to eight consecutive service points by Rhyan Shumway.
The fourth game went back-and-forth before Lincoln County was able to close it out winning the last three points.
The fifth and deciding game ended quickly. Leading 4-1, Lincoln County’s Katy Mathews served out the final 11 points, including three aces. Shumway ended the match with a kill to cap the comeback for the Lady Lynx.
“I thought we played well the first two games and then kind of ran out of gas,” Nelson said. “We’re getting there.”
Haviland had a strong game for the Lady Bulldogs with 13 kills, 19 digs, two blocks and two service aces. Marian Leavitt had 18 assists and 15 digs while Reggi Frei had 15 digs and four kills and Miramontes added 12 digs to go along with two service aces.
After playing at Clark in Las Vegas on Monday, the Lady Bulldogs will host Boulder City on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and then close out the week traveling to Pahrump Valley on Friday.
