Homecoming can bring a lot of distractions for students and teams throughout the week. However, the Lowry High School volleyball team was looking to stay focused with hopes of winning the regular season title in the Northern 3A.
The Lady Bucks took the court Saturday afternoon in Winnemucca and maintained that focus with a 25-12, 17-25, 25-15 and 25-20 win over South Tahoe. With the victory, Lowry moved into first place in the Northern 3A at 8-2.
“This was a big win for us and we just have to keep it going,” said LHS coach Brandon Eastman. “I was very pleased with how we played, especially my seniors. You get nothing done with Homecoming week practice wise. But, we put all the distractions behind us and we were able to get a good win. Next week, we will finally have the girls back to their regular positions.”
Lowry raced out to an 8-2 advantage in the opening set, picking up a block and kill from Brittany Jacaway and a kill by Kyllie Sappington. The Vikings closed the gap to 10-6, but a tip by Jadyn Eastman and an ace by Sappington quickly increased the lead to 14-7.
South Tahoe fought back again to trim the lead to 15-11, but a kill by Jacaway started a 10-1 run by Lowry to close out the set. The last four points came off three kills by Sappington and an ace by Alyssa Kuskie,
As good as it went in the first set for the Lady Bucks, it went equally wrong in the second.
Lowry led 8-5 on the strength of a block by Jacaway, an ace by Tailor West and kills by Kuskie and Sappington.
“I can’t wait to go back and watch the film and see how many blocks Brittany had,” Eastman said. “She played great at the net today. I thought we did a great job on defense today.”
South Tahoe came back to tie the set at 8-8 and went on an 11-1 run to knock off Lowry and claim the set.
“It was just one of those things where we could not stop their momentum,” Eastman said. “We shanked a couple passes in a row and I think it became mental for us to try harder to make the right pass.”
After giving up the first point of the third set, Lowry answered back with four straight points, including two aces by Kepa Bengochea and a kill by Julianne Montero. The Lady Bucks did not trail again. Lowry slowly pulled away, picking up contributions from a number of players.
It appeared the fourth set was going to be a copy of the second, with South Tahoe winning. After trading points for the first half of the set, the Vikings pulled away for a 15-10 lead. The Lady Bucks called timeout at the point and the tables turned.
Lowry went on a 10-0 run after the break in the action and turned a five-point deficit into a five-point lead. South Tahoe’s setter was called for a number of double hits during that stretch of play.
“We never panicked at that point,” said the coach. “We settled down and fought our way back. In the past that would have lost that set 25-15.”
The Vikings closed within three points at 22-20, but the Lady Bucks scored the next point on an ace by Sappington. Lowry caught a break with an ace off the top of the net on the next point and won the match on a hitting error by the Vikings on the next point.
Lowry leads the Northern 3A by one match over Fernley (8-3). The two schools play Wednesday in Fernley at 6 p.m. Truckee is third in the Northern 3A and is followed by Elko (6-3), Dayton (6-4) and South Tahoe (5-5)
The top six teams advance to the regional playoffs in Fallon on Nov. 3-4. The top teams get a bye in the first round.
The Lady Bucks are back home Thursday to play Churchill County at 6 p.m.
“This week showed the maturity and leadership of our team and seniors,” Eastman said. “South Tahoe is a good team. We need to get ready for this week. This league is tough. Any of the top six teams can win on any given night. It depends on who comes out and plays better for three sets.”
