In the program’s first-ever boys volleyball state championship game, the Moapa Valley Pirates fell in straight sets, 25-12, 25-23, 25-13 to the Boulder City Eagles. 

The Pirates looked like they were finding their form in the second set, as MVHS tied it at 12 on a big block by sophomore Kai Muaina. Then Muaina crushed a kill right on the line to put the Pirates up 13-12. He extended the lead to 15-13 with another kill, and a block by senior Jaxson Bunker made it 16-14. 

Senior Caden Rawson had a block and a kill that pushed the Pirates’ lead to 19-17, forcing a BC timeout. The Eagles came back thanks to junior Levi Randall, forcing a Moapa Valley timeout with the Eagles up 21-19. Bunker powered the Pirates back in front, 23-22, but the Eagles won the next three points to take a commanding two-set lead.

Another Muaina block made it 5-2 BC in the third, and another by Spencer Stolworthy made it 5-3, but a service error gave service back to the Eagles, who served more effectively than the Pirates all match. The front line of the Eagles was also overwhelming, forcing an MV timeout up 11-4. Boulder pushed it to 16-6, and more BC blocks and Moapa Valley service errors made the Eagle lead a dozen.

The MVHS hitters just couldn’t get the ball past the BCHS blockers often enough, and when they played the ball over blockers to the soft spot in the defense, the ball was dug out by seniors David Zwahlen and Preston VanBeveren.

“They’ve got a really good defender over there in #3 [Zwahlen]…They’re the type of team that you can’t make a lot of mistakes against. You’ve got to be pretty perfect, and we weren’t today,” MVHS head coach Shaun Muaina said.

It was the last game for seniors Bunker, Rawson, Stolworthy, Tag Jensen and Tristan Landini – five of the seven players seeing the floor in the championship game. But BC loses five starting seniors to graduation as well. The Eagles played five juniors in the match, though. 

“[L]ooking around the league, a lot of teams are losing impact players to graduation…we are losing some impactful seniors for sure, guys that have been part of our program for a long time. They will be missed. That said, the future is bright in Moapa Valley,” Muaina said. “We have some outstanding talent returning, including Kai, who I believe is already one of the best players in the state, but will definitely be at that “player of the year” status next year. We also have a few underclassmen that I am really excited about. Guys that didn’t get a lot of playing time due to our abundance of seniors but who will definitely make an impact.”

Muaina expects the league to be wide open next year and for his Pirates to once again contend for their first title. 

“There is an excitement and momentum surrounding boys volleyball in Moapa that there hasn’t been before,” Muaina commented. “Junior boys programs at the club level started this year, and boys volleyball will be sanctioned at the middle school level next year as well. So we are excited about what the future holds for boys volleyball here.”