With a new playoff structure in place this fall, the final two matches of the week for the Lowry High School volleyball team were the most important of the season.
Two teams have been added to the postseason, with the first and second-seeded teams receiving byes into the semifinals in just a few weeks in the regional tournament.
The Lady Bucks positioned themselves to be in a good spot come November, picking up victories over South Tahoe and Dayton in Winnemucca. Lowry knocked off the Vikings 25-11, 25-27, 25-21 and 25-18 on Thursday night and Dayton 25-19, 25-16 and 25-17 on Saturday afternoon.
Lowry has won five matches in a row and improved to 10-2 in the Division I-A North and 19-7 overall. Truckee leads the league at 12-0. The Lady Bucks are the only team to win a set against the Wolverines in league play.
“Those were big wins for us,” said LHS coach Megan Allen. “Especially the win over Dayton. To beat them in three sets is huge. They were missing some players due to injuries.”
Lowry nets season sweep of South Tahoe
Lowry took on a scrappy South Tahoe squad on Thursday, and after an easy win the first set, the Lady Bucks were in a battle for the final three sets.
“They are not a very tall team, but they make plays,” Allen said. “They never give up.”
The first set featured seven ties, the last at 8-8. The Lady Bucks dominated from there. A dual block by Juliana Velasco and Jillian Albright put Lowry up 15-10, and Velasco and Ashlee Barron proved to be too much at the net, as Lowry finished the set on a 17-3 run.
Lowry looked to be in cruise control in the second set, scoring seven of the first 10 points, including an ace and kill from Velasco and a kill by Sierra Thiede.
The Vikings came back to go in front 15-14, but service errors plagued both teams, giving away easy points. The Lady Bucks went back in front 20-17 on a kill by Hannah Hillyer. The margin stayed at two points at 23-21 off a kill by Velasco, but Lowry could not keep the lead. South Tahoe scored the next three points to go in front 24-23. After two more ties, the Vikings scored the final two points to complete the comeback.
After giving up the first two points in the third set, Lowry came back to take an 8-5 advantage on the strength of an ace by Barron and a kill from Thiede. The Vikings used a mini-run to tie the set at 12-12, when the Lady Bucks answered with a 5-0 run and did not trail again. South Tahoe was as close at 24-21, but a serving error ended the rally, handing the set to Lowry.
The Lady Bucks used that momentum and were never threatened in the fourth set. A kill by Velasco and a block from Velasco and Albright capped off a 13-3 run in the clinching set. A kill by Hillyer finished off the match.
Lowry sweeps Dayton
The two teams played twice earlier in the season, with the Dust Devils winning twice. However, injuries have taken their toll on the Lyon County school in the past few weeks. Dayton was without three starters on Saturday.
“You never want to wish injuries on any team,” Allen said. “We came out and played one of our best matches of the year. We did some good things with our offense.”
Both squads traded the lead in the first set, but a block by Chelsea Herrera and Hillyer after a point-saving dig by Velasco set the tone for the remainder of the set.
An ace by Waller put Lowry in front by two points at 16-14, and back-to-back kills by Thiede and Albright pushed the advantage to 20-16. Thiede and Herrera used kills to close out the set.
The same scenario played out in set two, with the teams trading the lead. A block by Hillyer began a 6-1 run, which included two kills by the junior. Herrera also had a kill during the spurt.
The Dust Devils closed within two points, at 16-14, when the Lady Bucks scored the next five points behind the play from Velasco and Albright. Kills by Thiede and Hillyer closed out the set.
Lowry raced out to a huge lead in the third set, scoring 10 of the first 11 points. The advantage increased to 15-4 on an ace by Albright. The Dust Devils attempted to make things interesting, closing the gap to 20-14, but never got any closer.
“We just got a little sloppy midway through,” Allen said. “We had a big lead and took our foot off the pedal.”
Lowry has clinched a playoff berth and with three more wins, a bye in the first round. The Lady Bucks travel to Spring Creek on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. start.
