CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REPORT – EARLY WEEK
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
We’re almost a full month into the volleyball season, and half of the MHPR poll’s top-ten entered the week still unbeaten. One of the five other teams that received votes was also unblemished. Three of those teams will be in action in the first half of the week, as will several others in the top-15.
TUESDAY
#6 HI-PLAINS (2-0) VS 2A LIMON (3-1)
In just the second match of the season, Hi-Plains took a big step towards earning its first outright YWKC league title of the MaxPreps era. The Lady Patriots beat #11 Otis in three on Friday. The 26-24, 25-17, 25-19 sweep was just the second win in the series for the Lady Patriots in the last 30 meetings during the MaxPreps era. Cambria Seaman recorded 15 kills and 15 digs, and Brianna Rueb tacked on 10 kills. Addison Richards added 30 assists. Limon picked up a sweet victory over Kit Carson on Thursday behind 16 kills, 14 digs, and seven aces from Madison Witt. The Lady Badgers turned around on Friday and suffered a sweep loss at Wray, their first of the season. Witt again led the attack, but this time with seven kills. Hi-Plains has won the last two against Limon, including a sweep last season.
#7 CALICHE (5-3) AT #14 HAXTUN (5-3)
Caliche bounced back from a loss to 2A Holyoke last Tuesday to get a sweep of Fleming last Saturday. It was just the third win in the last 34 matches in the series for the Lady Buffs, two coming this year. Lily Armstrong (14) and Aniston Marostica (12) combined for 26 assists, while Alexis Breidenbach paced the attack with 10 kills. Faye Lueck added nine, to go with three blocks. Haxtun ran its winning streak to three with a sweep of Weldon Valley last Tuesday. Leah Edwards recorded 15 digs, while Sarah Crossland (13) and Haylie Carpenter (12) combined for 25 assists. Caliche snapped an 11-match losing streak in the series with a 3-0 win last season.
#11 OTIS (5-3) AT FLAGLER (4-3)
The loss to Hi-Plains last Friday was the second in three matches for the Lady Bulldogs. Following a four-set loss to Caliche last Friday, Otis picked up a sweep of Fleming last Tuesday. Flagler ran its winning streak to three with a 3-0 victory at Lone Star last Thursday. That streak ended the following night at #9 Prairie in three. Flagler outlasted Otis in five sets last year to claim its first win in the last five meetings. Rylie Berry had 17 kills for the Lady Panthers in that win, while Kensley Packer put down 24 for Otis.
#12 CHERAW (3-0) VS SPRINGFIELD (2-6)
Cheraw opened High Plains play on Thursday with a sweep of Eads, 25-19/19/20. Tinley Leake led the way with 15 kills and 15 digs, while Bristyl Barratt tallied 13 kills and 13 digs. Springfield hosted its Longhorn Stampede tournament last weekend, where it went 2-3. The Lady Longhorns got wins over Walsh and Kim/Branson, and had losses to #3 Sargent, Holly, and South Baca. The last two closed out the tourney. Cheraw has won three straight in the series and four of the last five.
#13 THE COLORADO SPRINGS SCHOOL (6-0) AT 2A MIAMI-YODER (5-3)
The Lady Kodiaks returned to the court after a 10-day lay-off and collected a 3-1 win over 2A Thomas MacLaren last Wednesday. Mia Vargas racked up 15 kills and 14 digs in the win. Jordan Seto recorded 15 assists and 11 digs, and Elizabeth Brown served up seven aces. After a loss to Peyton on Tuesday, Miami-Yoder got back into the win column on Saturday in five sets over Mountain Valley. Mindy Quintana-Vasquez popped up 35 digs, and Kyra Weimert added 24. TCSS has not lost to Miami-Yoder in the MaxPreps era, and took a 3-0 win last season.
THURSDAY
#2 MCCLAVE (4-2) VS CHEYENNE WELLS (0-6)
McClave picked up a pair of sweep victories over the weekend, beating 2A #2 Sedgwick County on Friday (25-18/14/12) and Idalia (25-19/17/6) on Saturday. Avery Hemphill went over 1000 kills for her career in the win over Idalia. She surpassed 1000 digs in her career last season. The Lady Cardinals will open High Plains play by hosting Cheyenne Wells. The Lady Tigers won their first two sets of the season in a triangular last Thursday, but still lost to Idalia and St. Francis (KS) both in three sets. McClave has won two straight over the Lady Tigers, and seven of the last eight.
#4 GRANADA (4-0) VS 2A LAS ANIMAS (2-2)
Granada pushed its unbeaten streak to 12 straight sets with a 25-20/11/9 sweep of 2A Burlington on the road last Saturday. Camryn Coleman powered the Lady Bobcats with 14 kills, three aces, and five solo blocks. Dayzriana Quintana tallied 11 digs and four total blocks, and Kinsley Williams added 25 assists. Las Animas lost for the second time in as many outings, going down in four to #15 Wiley last Thursday. The Lady Trojans took the first set in that one, but Wiley roared back to grab the next three. Ava LaBarge registered 11 kills and 27 digs, while Jordann Eck added five aces, 20 digs, and 27 assists. This has been a start and stop series between Granada and Las Animas, with meetings in 2009, 2013, and last year. The Lady Bobcats have won the two most recent contests.
#6 HI-PLAINS AT WASHINGTON COUNTY (1-4)
Washington County (fka Arickaree/Woodlin) did not field a squad last year due to low numbers, but was able to make it a brief hiatus. After opening the season with one win in five matches at the Hanover tournament, the only other action so far for the Stampede was in the JV side of the NJC Spectacular two weekends ago. Senior Lizbeth Ramos racked up 13 aces, 30 digs, and 16 assists in the Hanover tourney. Hi-Plains has won 14 of the last 16 in the series.
#9 PRAIRIE (3-2) AT FLEMING (0-5)
Prairie’s 3-0 win at home on Friday over Flagler gave the Lady Mustangs consecutive wins for the first time this season. Hannah Kugler popped off for 21 kills in that victory, and Macie Jaeger added nine. Kali Sutter led the defense with 18 digs, and Molly Walker recorded 32 assists. Fleming had a tough one on Tuesday at Sedgwick County, with both teams coming off losses. Fleming had been swept in its three prior matches, while the Lady Cougars took the sweep loss at McClave last Friday. Fleming has owned the series with Prairie, winning 50 of 51 meetings in the MaxPreps era. The only win by the Lady Mustangs was in the 2015 regular season. The Lady Wildcats have won 26 in a row since.
#13 THE COLORADO SPRINGS SCHOOL AT 3A JAMES IRWIN (2-0)
The early part of the schedule has been light for the Lady Jaguars, who will have gone close to two weeks between matches by the time they take the court on Tuesday against 2A Fowler. Their last match was a four-set victory over Liberty Tree Academy back on August 27th. Lilliana Vanasse registered 45 digs in that win, and Stella Reed tacked on 13 kills and 24 digs. The Lady Kodiaks have won nine of 13 in the series, with last year’s five-set victory snapping a three-match winning streak by James Irwin.
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