Instead beginning its season on its home floor like it has for nearly 20 years, the Lowry High School volleyball team opted for a change of scenery and headed to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to start the 2014 campaign.
The Lady Bucks were in Tahoe City, Calif., last weekend for the North Tahoe Invitational where they went 5-0 and captured the tournament championship.
"Winning the North Tahoe tournament was a great way to start the season," said LHS coach Megan Allen. "We went into the tournament with the mindset to win. Competing against our first few teams was a great way to warm up our offense. We committed to executing our higher offense and passed very well."
Lowry opened the weekend with a 25-10 and 25-11 two-set victory over Smith Valley on Friday, Aug. 29, and continued pool play with wins over Hug and Sierra Lutheran on Saturday. The Lady Bucks best the Haweks 25-9 and 25-12 and the Falcons 25-10 and 25-7. Smith Valley and Sierra Lutheran are Division IV schools and Hug is a member of the Division I North.
After pool play was completed on Saturday morning, the tournament moved into bracket play. First up for Lowry was league rival Spring Creek. The Lady Bucks easily won the match 25-11 and 25-16 to reach the championship.
"As the competition grew going into the bracket our defense warmed up very well," Allen said. "We showed a lot of energy and motivation since they are one of our league teams."
Lowry took on Dayton in the title game, looking for revenge against the Dust Devils. Dayton knocked off Lowry in the regional semifinals a year ago on its way to winning the Division I-A North title. The Dust Devils lost to Faith Lutheran in the state championship.
Lowry dropped its first set of the season losing game one 25-23.
The girls started the match nervous but realized they could compete with the regional champions for the previous year," said the coach. Despite the loss we focused on the positive efforts we made.
Lowry bounced back to win the second set 25-15 and took that momentum to the third set where it led 10-3. The Dust Devils rallied back, but the Lady Bucks held on for the 15-13 victory.
"Our offense was consistent and our passes were fantastic again Dayton's hitters," Allen said. "Our scrappy play allowed us to make plays on balls that otherwise seemed hopeless. Overall, the girls played very well for our first appearance this season. There is a great vibe on the floor and good spirit amongst the girls. We know that every game is going to be a fight, but we are ready and willing to get it going."
Lowry will see a bump in competition this weekend at the Yerington Invitational, which begins today and concludes Saturday. The Lady Bucks are scheduled to face Smith Valley, Sparks, Bishop, Calif., and Spanish Springs in pool play.
Spanish Springs has played in the last three Division I North Regional Championship games. The Cougars lost to Bishop Manogue in the title game in 2013. Bishop Manogue went on to win the Division I state championship.[[In-content Ad]]
