WINNEMUCCA - After dropping its first match of the year to Fallon on the road, the Winnemucca Junior High School seventh-grade volleyball team was looking to return the favor in its home debut on Tuesday afternoon.
The Warriors (2-2 overall, 2-0 Tri-County League) put a scare into the Greenwave, winning the first game 25-23, but Fallon came back to win the final two games 25-23 and 15-9.
"The girls are aggressive and working to get to the right spots on the floor," said WJHS head coach Mary Kay Pace. "I think you are going to see some great things out of them if they continue on. We played much better against them this time and the girls were excited. They beat us decisively the first time we played. It was the first-game jitters in that match, but they have improved quite a bit from that point. This is a great group of girls who like to work with each other."
Winnemucca scored the first five points of the game on the serving of Olivia Silva, which included an ace. During that run, Brooklyn Waller also had a tip in the open floor. The Greenwave rallied to tie the game at 6-6, but the Warriors opened up a three-point advantage at 14-11 off an ace by Audrey Snow.
A kill by Silva kept Winnemucca in front by two points at 16-14, when Fallon answered back with four points in a row to go in front 18-16. Kaity Sample put the Warriors back in front with two consecutive aces at 19-18, and Winnemucca closed the game with an ace by Snow and a tip by Tiana Herrera.
Both teams traded off the lead in the early part of the second game, with Fallon taking control with a 6-1 run to take a 16-11 advantage. Winnemucca followed with a 9-2 spurt to retake the lead at 20-18, after a missed serve by the Greenwave. The two schools shared missing serves later in the game, and at game point the Greenwave used a tip in the open floor to claim the victory.
In the third and final game, an ace by Sample tied the score at 2-2 and Winnemucca took its first lead at 5-4 on a kill by Hannah Hillyer, but it was all Fallon after that. The Greenwave went on a 9-3 run to take control of the game and went on for the win.
"We don't see a team hit like that unless we are scrimmaging the eighth-graders," Pace said. "We handled Fallon's serve much better today and I thought we covered the floor well. We will probably not see that kind of hitting the rest of the season."
Winnemucca began play in the Tri-County League on Friday, March 2, in Battle Mountain and came away with two wins. The Warriors beat the host Shorthorns 25-5 and 25-7 and the Colts 25-9 and 25-10.
"It was matches that we pretty much dominated," added the coach. "I was really impressed with how my girls came out and played. We had excellent serving by the girls in both matches. Battle Mountain and Pershing County had a tough time with serve receive. I was pleased and we would set up plays for spikes. The girls are attempting to play the game like it is supposed to be played."
The coach said that Annaleise Gabica and Sample served well in the matches in Battle Mountain. She added that Brooklyn Waller has been very consistent and that her setters and hitters also continue to improve.
Winnemucca is back at home Saturday, hosting Battle Mountain and Pershing County beginning at 9 a.m.
"I am very impressed with the athleticism of my team," Pace said. "We have some skills coming in and they understand what they are doing on the floor."
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