CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REPORT – TUESDAY by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REPORT – TUESDAY

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

After a fairly slow start to the new season, things really begin ramping up, with a full slate of games on Tuesday. Many of the highly-ranked teams in the latest MHPR poll will be in action. All rankings come from that poll.

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#1 MCCLAVE (3-0) AT #14 CHERAW (0-1)

McClave won last Saturday’s Wiggins tournament, with head coach Melissa Steinbrunn earning her 100^th career victory along the way. The Lady Cardinals beat 3A Valley (2-0), 2A #4 Simla (2-1), and 2A #2 Wiggins (2-0) to claim the title. Cheraw lost its opener to #9 Genoa-Hugo/Karval in four sets last Friday. This is the first High Plains League match of the season for both teams. McClave has won the last three matches against Cheraw, and 12 of the last 14 overall in the series.

#3 MERINO (0-0) VS PEETZ (0-0)

Merino has won 18 of the last 19 meetings with Peetz, and has taken 33 consecutive sets from the Lady Bulldogs. Jaylyn Lynch had 11 kills in last year’s sweep victory.

#5 OTIS (0-0) VS 2A WRAY (0-1)

Wray dropped a tough five-setter to #16 Lone Star last week, despite a dozen kills and six aces from Mariah DeLand. Otis has beaten the Lady Eagles in 13 straight matches, all but two in sweeps. Aedyn Tribelhorn put away 10 kills and Crysten Goble had 24 assists in last year’s 3-0 win.

#7 HI-PLAINS (0-0) VS KIT CARSON (1-2)

Kit Carson went 1-2 in its annual tournament last Saturday, falling to Akron in two, Wiley in three, and beating Yuma in three. Counting the years when Hi-Plains was part of the co-op with Flagler, Kit Carson holds a 17-13 edge in the recent history of the series. However, the Lady Patriots snapped a 12-match losing streak with a 3-0 victory last year. Cambria Seaman led HP with 13 kills, while Tressie Golding had a match-high 33 digs for the Lady Wildcats.

#8 FLATIRONS ACADEMY (4-0) AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN LUTHERAN (1-4)

These two just played over the weekend, with Flatirons Academy taking a 25-17, 25-13 victory in the Addenbrooke Classical Academy tournament. The Lady Bison won the event. It marked the seventh consecutive for Flatirons Academy in the series. Rocky Mountain Lutheran had won 14 in a row prior to this current run for the Lady Bison.

#9 GENOA-HUGO/KARVAL (1-0) AT #11 EADS (1-1)

The Lady Pirates had four players with at least five kills in the four-set victory at Cheraw last Friday, led by Rylee Corn with eight. Amy James added seven, while Kallie Yoder and Kazlei Vaughn tallied six and five, respectively. Eads swept Sierra Grande on Friday, getting seven kills from Anna Wollert and 19 digs from Bailey Sierra, but the Lady Eagles were beaten by #10 Evangel Christian Academy in four sets on Saturday. Kara Wilson put down 13 kills and Sierra added 33 digs. Eads has won two of the last three meetings with Genoa-Hugo/Karval, but the Lady Pirates own a 5-2 edge in the recent history of the match-up.

#10 EVANGEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (1-0) AT KIOWA (1-0)

ECA got the win against Eads, but it wasn’t easy, as the Lady Eagles had to take the first and fourth sets by scores of 26-24. Kiowa swept Calhan on Friday, winning a wild second set 29-27. Kiley Kuhn (19) and Bernice Summers (15) combined for 34 kills for the Lady Indians. Kiowa owns a 19-8 lead in the series with ECA, including a pair of four-set victories each of the last two years. Kuhn recorded double digit kills in each of those matches.

#12 BRIGGSDALE (0-2) VS AKRON (3-1)

Briggsdale opened with a pair of losses to highly-ranked 2A schools over the weekend, falling to #1 Sedgwick County in three and #9 Haxtun in five. Akron bounced back from its season-opening loss to #2 Fleming to win the Kit Carson tournament on Saturday. The Lady Rams swept Kit Carson and Wiley, and took a 2-1 win over Yuma to claim the title. Briggsdale has won the last three meetings with Akron, last year in four sets. Claire Brown had 13 kills for the Lady Falcons, and AnnMarie Stahn led the Lady Rams with 15.

#16 LONE STAR (1-0) VS #17 CALICHE (0-0)

Lone Star’s big trio of Jade Kuntz (13), Paityn Forry (9), and Peytyn Kuntz (8) combined for 30 kills in the five-set victory over Wray last week, and Audrey Wade added seven kills and 24 digs for the Lady Longhorns. Grace Cochran posted 31 assists and 20 digs. It’s the season-opener for Caliche, who lost a pair of matches to Lone Star last year, one in four sets and the second in five. Ryann Svoboda and Hallie Lewis had 16 kills apiece for the Lady Buffs in the latter of those decisions.