CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL DAILY DIGEST – 9/21/22 By Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL DAILY DIGEST – 9/21/22

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Due to an electronic failure (crashed laptop), the digest missed a few days. Before attacking tonight’s key contests, we take a quick look back at the biggest matches, dating back to last Friday.

Kally Kirkwood hammered 19 kills and served four aces, while freshman setter Cara Lousberg recorded 21 assists in Fleming’s 3-0 North Central win over Prairie. Fellow NCL rival, Briggsdale, had no troubles in sweeping Arickaree, with Jenna Krise posting 19 kills and two blocks, and Libby Slinger registering 29 assists. Krise added 20 more kills in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Caliche. The junior has had at least 15 kills in eight of 11 matches this season, including a career-high 30 against Otis earlier this month.

Dove Creek maintained its hold on the #3 spot in the coaches poll with a 3-0 sweep of Norwood, behind 11 kills from Trista Barnett and four aces by Kalie Gatlin. Kit Carson jumped up three spots to #4 after sweeping Eads, with Kenzie Wagonner racking up 16 kills.

It was a good weekend for #5 La Veta, who picked up a 3-0 win over Primero on Friday and then added sweeps of Evangelical Christian and Sangre de Cristo. Kendyl Eddleman tallied 32 kills in the three wins, with Maddie Nix directing the attack with a total of 62 assists.

Cheraw swept Cheyenne Wells on Friday and dropped the first two sets to Springfield on Saturday before roaring back with wins in the next two. Springfield won the fifth, and that loss cost Cheraw their spot in this week’s poll, as they fell from #10, where they were replaced by Simla. The Cubs dropped their lone match of the week, falling in three close sets at home on Saturday to #1 Merino. Kylie Maranville led the Cubs in the defeat with 13 kills, 23 digs, and two blocks.

Flagler backed up a five-set win over 2A Limon in Union Pacific play with another five-set win against Hi-Plains in non-league play on Friday. Madison Crisp, who had 24 kills against Limon, had a dozen in Friday’s win. She’s had 52 over the last three matches, all wins by the Panthers.

Several top teams rolled on Tuesday night, including Merino. The Rams needed extras to win the first set at Limon (27-25), and then only allowed a total of 18 points in the final two, as they completed the sweep. Merino has only dropped one set this season.

Kylie Gatlin (17) and Trista Barnett (12) combined for 29 kills in a four-set win by Dove Creek over Mancos. That was the first time the Bulldogs had not swept an opponent in almost two weeks. They’ve only dropped five sets on the year.

Wiley took care of business on the road at Kim/Branson, sweeping the Mustangs while only surrendering 20 points. The Panthers have won eight straight matches. Their top challenger in the Ark Valley, Springfield, swept Holly at home for its fourth straight win.

The performance of the night belonged to McClave freshman Abrielle Gomez. In the Cards’ 3-1 win over Cheraw, Gomez piled up 17 kills, 17 blocks (eight solo), and 34 digs. McKayla Kiniston (14) and Mariah Enciso (11) combined for 25 more kills in the win. McClave won the first set 25-17, but things tightened up quickly after that. They went up 2-0 with a 26-24 win in the second, but Cheraw fought back to take the third by the same count. The Cards closed it out 28-26 in the fourth.

Tonight only has three matches on the calendar, highlighted by Belleview Christian hosting 3A DSST: Conservatory Green in a non-league contest. Both teams come in on two-match winning streaks. For the Bruins, it’s their first action in almost two weeks.