WINNEMUCCA -Playing at home for just the second time this season, the Winnemucca Junior High School eighth-grade volleyball team picked up two wins on Saturday to stay perfect in Tri-County play.
After watching other schools play three matches before them, the Warriors took to the floor and beat Battle Mountain 25-22 and 25-8. Winnemucca capped off the day with an easy 25-10 and 25-14 victory over Pershing County.
"It took us a little while to get going against Battle Mountain," said WJHS head coach Miranda Santos. "I had my girls here early to get some practice in the main gym. We practice in the multi-purpose room, so we never get to see this gym. We had three matches before us and we just had to get the energy back. We played great in the second game against Battle Mountain and the entire match versus Pershing County."
The opening game against Battle Mountain was a back-and-forth affair with no team able to grab a comfortable advantage. Winnemucca pulled away with a 3-0 run, capped off by an ace by Annaleise Gabica after the game was tied at 18-18.
The Shorthorns rallied with the next three points, only to see the Warriors go back up 22-21 after a block by Amaya Herrera. Winnemucca used a kill by Herrera to score the final three points and claim the win.
The Warriors (6-1 overall, 4-0 Tri-County) used that momentum to score nine of the first 11 points of the second game. Winnemucca used three consecutive aces from Kaity Sample and a block from Madison Montero to build a 16-6 lead.
Holding on to a nine-point advantage at 17-8, Brooklyn Waller closed out the match with eight consecutive service points, including four aces.
Hannah Hillyer and Aimee Brandon were dominant at the net with four and two kills, respectively. Alanna Miller, Montero and Waller each had one kill. Elise Rose had a team-high five aces, with McKenna Jones and Sample adding two aces apiece. Miller and Waller were the assist leaders with five and four, respectively.
Trailing 3-2 in the first game to Pershing County, Winnemucca responded with 11 straight points and cruised from there. During that stretch, Brandon picked up two kills and Montero had an ace.
A kill by Hillyer and three aces in a row by Sample pushed the Warriors' lead to 20-9. Winnemucca scored five of the last six points to finish off the game, which included a kill by Hillyer and two kills and an ace by Montero.
The second game was near carbon copy of the first as Hillyer and Gabica combined to do much of the damage in the early going. Hillyer had three kills and Gabica two aces in helping Winnemucca build a 15-2 lead.
The Warriors remained in control, picking up a back-row kill from Olivia Silva and a kill and ace from Herrera on back-to-back points to close out the Colts.
"It was a much different match from the first time we played," Santos said. "We came out and played one of our best matches of the year. It was a complete match by the girls. It was awesome to see what we did in practice translate to the match."
Hillyer had seven kills for Winnemucca, while Miller and Montero added four and three kills, respectively. Brandon added two kills to go with two blocks. Waller had a team-high 11 assists and Sample and Silva each had two digs.
"Olivia played very well," added the coach. "She works hard in the back row and had some nice digs. Her kill was fun to see as well."
Winnemucca opened Tri-County play on Saturday, March 9, in Battle Mountain and came away with two wins.
The Warriors opened with a 25-10 and 25-16 victory over the host Shorthorns. However, Winnemucca needed three games to knock of Pershing County. The Warriors cruised to a 25-11 triumph in game one but the Colts bounced back to claim game two 25-23. Winnemucca was able to hold on for the 15-12 win in the final set.
"We struggled with our serve receive in the second game," Santos said. "The girls were not getting the ball to the setter. We worked on that in practice and we did a much better job this weekend."
Winnemucca traveled to Fallon on Tuesday, March 5, and was looking to complete the season sweep of the Greenwave. Fallon was able to prevail on its home floor, winning 25-23, 25-8. The two schools played a third game with Winnemucca coming out on top 25-21.
"It was nice to see the girls come back and win that final game," Santos said. "I played with the lineup a bit and wanted to get everyone in."
Winnemucca closes out its season Friday in Lovelock for the Tri-County championship. Action starts at 10 a.m.
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