CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REPORT – TUESDAY by Kerry Sherman

Picture by Chanda Schmidt (Merino vs Wiggins)

CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REPORT – TUESDAY

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

The final week of regular season play in Class 1A gives us some of the biggest match-ups of the season, beginning with a pair of ranked vs ranked clashes on Tuesday. Half of the top-12 teams in the latest CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index are in action tonight.

This article is Sponsored by: Walker Mower located in Haxtun CO as well as various locations in Colorado. Walker Mower provides Fast, Easy, and Beautiful Mowing. Made in the USA and built in Colorado!

#1 MERINO (18-2) VS #3 FLEMING (19-2)

This is the second meeting of the year between two of the top three teams in the classification, as they previously played in the NJC tournament at the end of August. Merino won that contest in a sweep, 25-11, 25-23, and 25-13. Jaylyn Lynch powered Merino with 20 kills, while Jade Powell added eight. Riley Pope racked up 31 assists, and Powell led the defense with 23 digs. Ashley Bornhoft had a team-leading 13 kills for the Lady Wildcats, and Ciana Lousberg and Quincy Stull recorded six apiece. Hayley Chamberlain was the lone Fleming player with double digit digs, finishing with 15. Fleming has only lost once since that defeat.

#4 FLATIRONS ACADEMY (20-1) VS BELLEVIEW CHRISTIAN (4-17)

Flatirons Academy ran its winning streak to nine with a sweep of Dayspring Christian last Thursday. All nine were sweeps. Two of the three sets against the Lady Eagles went 25-23. Brylin Gomer and Claire Friedman led a balanced Lady Bison attack with nine kills apiece. Jenna Nehrbass tacked on eight. Sydnie Rangel tallied five total blocks, while Nehrbass and Lexi Richman added three each. On that same night, Belleview Christian lost its fifth straight, falling to 2A #3 Lyons in a sweep. The Lady Bruins only had a dozen kills in the loss, half of them from Tara Polson. Five more came from Anessa Schanke. Schanke had a team-high 12 digs.

#5 STRATTON (16-5) AT #8 HI-PLAINS (16-5)

Stratton had won nine straight before a loss to Merino last Saturday. One of those came against Hi-Plains in the finals of the Stratton Bash. Hi-Plains has won four in a row since that defeat. In that earlier meeting, the Lady Eagles earned a 25-19, 25-23 victory, with Sophia Isenbart putting down a match-high 10 kills. Kinsleigh Brachtenbach added seven for Stratton. Addison Henschel and Cambria Seaman had five apiece to lead the Lady Patriots.

#9 EVANGEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (17-4) AT 2A FOUNTAIN VALLEY (9-9)

ECA picked up a pair of 3-0 wins last Saturday, downing Cotopaxi and Deer Trail. Ellie Wagner had a total of 29 blocks between the two victories, 15 of them in the earlier match. Mia Castro added a total of 19, with a dozen in the Cotopaxi match. Bailey Roberts served six aces in each contest. Fountain Valley lost for the fourth time in its last five outings last Thursday, with the Lady Danes getting swept by Thomas MacLaren. Keira Llewelyn put down nine kills for Fountain Valley, and Ainsley Joseph recorded a match-high 34 digs.

#10 PRAIRIE (15-5) AT WELDON VALLEY (6-15)

Prairie rides a two-match slide into this North Central rematch with the Lady Warriors, as the Lady Mustangs lost to 3A #7 Sterling and Stratton in sweeps last week. Weldon Valley also enters the meeting with two straight losses, as the Lady Warriors fell to #18 Lone Star and #14 Flagler late last week. Just short of three weeks ago, Prairie claimed a 25-18/18/11 win over Weldon Valley, with Tanna Bailey putting away 11 kills. Macie Jaeger added nine, and Hannah Kugler tallied eight. Haylee Nelson paced the Lady Warriors with five kills, and Skylar Scott racked up five total blocks. Four of those were solos.

#12 CALICHE (13-7) VS 2A WRAY (7-14)

After opening the season 9-0, Caliche has lost eight of its last 12. One of those wins came last Friday against Briggsdale in a sweep. Ryann Svoboda hammered down 22 kills, while Hallie Lewis and Faye Lueck added nine and eight, respectively. Lily Armstrong recorded 39 assists. Wray snapped a seven-match losing streak with a five-set win over Akron last Tuesday, but the Lady Eagles could not back it up, as they dropped a five-setter to rival Yuma last Friday. Mariah DeLand had a team-high 16 kills for the Lady Eagles, and Katie Harms tacked on 13.

OTHER MATCHES INVOLVING RANKED TEAMS

#14 FLAGLER (14-7) AT 2A #14 (13-7)

#16 CHERAW (13-9) AT 2A ROCKY FORD (5-14)

#17 OTIS (11-10) VS KIT CARSON (7-15)

#19 SOUTH BACA (18-4) VS WALSH (2-20)

#21 AKRON (8-13) AT PEETZ (6-14)

#24 CHEYENNE WELLS (9-12) VS HOLLY (8-14)