It's all about mind over matter for the Pershing County volleyball team.
They won two away matches this past week. On Friday they beat Battle Mountain 25-27, 25-15, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13.
On Saturday, they traveled to West Wendover and won 25-16, 26-24, 22-25, 25-19.
With the wins Pershing County improved to 14-7 overall and 9-2 in the Northern 2A. They remain third in the league behind North Tahoe and Yerington.
PCHS defeats
Battle Mountain
on the road
Pershing County was down a starter in Battle Mountain so a couple of the girls filled different positions.
Taylor Garland played as an outside hitter. Andrea Canchola resumed her libero duties. The Mustangs lost the first set but regained their momentum in the second.
The Longhorns battled back to win the third match by two points.
The last two sets saw long rallies, hard hits and determined defense from each team. The Mustangs walked off with both matches and the win. The Mustangs’ Kaylen Halverson scored the final point with a deep serve.
Raegan Burrows filled in as a setter for one match to give the setters a break. She excelled, contributing 10 ace serves, 15 kills and 22 digs.
Taylor Garland consistently delivers the goods when the clock is ticking and the pressure is high.
"Taylor is a clutch player and can play any position with competitiveness," coach Monica Halverson said. Against Battle Mountain, Garland racked up 14 kills, one solo block and nine digs.
Anna Happy stepped up as speaking captain and garnered two aces, one kill, 14 assists and 21 digs.
Aaliyah Allen had three aces, five solo blocks and three digs. Yasmine McKinney added one ace serve and six digs.
According to the coach, co-captain Kaylen Halverson displays hustle, knowledge of the game and a strong work ethic. Against Battle Mountain, she had two aces, two kills one solo block, eight assists and 11 digs.
"It's always a good day when you can beat your rival on their home court," said Halverson.
PCHS rallies against West Wendover
"It was a slow-paced match with the Mustangs coming out with no energy, communication or fight. It showed in our first couple of plays," the coach said." Kudos to West Wendover. They stood their ground and made the game competitive."
The Wolverines picked up numerous Mustang hits and free balls before Lovelock got their gears going and pulled out the win.
Raegan Burrows and Taylor Garland each had 16 kills. Burrows added an ace and 28 digs. Garland contributed two aces, a solo block and 13 digs. Katie Moore had two digs. Yasmine Mckinney had three kills and eight digs.
Mustangs host Dig Pink fundraiser this Friday
The girls will be back on their home court on Friday, to play Incline at 4 and 5 p.m. Pershing County beat Incline on the road late last month.
Coach Halverson asks everyone to wear pink for the Dig Pink fundraiser. The evening will include a bake sale, silent auction, grand prize and plenty of caramel apples. The Mustangs will donate a portion of the proceeds to a local family going through hard times.
On Saturday, the Mustangs head to North Tahoe (10-1) to challenge the top-ranked team in the Northern 2A. Last month, the Mustangs beat the Lakers in Lovelock. The Laker's only league loss is against Pershing County. Both teams have something to prove so it should be a competitive game.
