Pershing County’s Kenya Vaughan sets the ball for a teammate.
The Pershing volleyball team swept Coral Academy (25-9, 25-7, 25-15) and Sierra Lutheran (25-18, 25-14, 25-15) on the road last week.
On Saturday, they hosted Incline. The game ran five sets and ended with the Mustangs on top (25-21, 16-25, 22-25, 25-14, 15-7).
The Mustangs now stand at 16-3, overall, and 5-0 in the 2A.
“My girls had a slow start against the Coral Academy Falcons, starting out down 6-0 due to not being focused and some minor fundamental bloopers. But they quickly got focused and closed out the game,” coach Monica Halverson said. “Aaliyah Allen is hitting on the right side and killing it.”
Allen, a senior, had five ace serves and two kills against the Falcons.
Sierra Lutheran was also a three-set sweep for the Mustangs. Allen’s fellow senior Raegan Burrows dominated the net with 14 kills.
Kyra Cerini tries for a kill on Incline’s middle blocker.
“Khloe Montes and Arya Garland cleaned up with big numbers on their digs defensively,” Halverson added. “Kyra Cerini had a great serving game.”
On Saturday, the Mustangs hosted what the coach called the nail-biter of the week. Like Pershing, Incline is one of the top performers in the league.
“We knew coming in that it was going to be a fight we needed to play point by point and not let the Highlanders get the upper hand or a lead that we couldn’t catch up to,” Halverson said.
The student section was present in full force as each squad balanced battling at the net with covering the court. Mustang enthusiasts packed the bleachers.
“They gave us hype and energy when we were struggling,” Halverson said. “We love our fans.”
Kenya Vaughan had six kills, including the game-winning kill in the fifth set. She also had five digs. Emma Blondheim, a junior, had six digs against Incline. Burrows had nine aces, 17 kills and 25 digs.
“Kenya has improved so much mentally that I predict we are going to see some great things from her in the middle. Raegan is dynamic and wows the crowd with her hitting ability. She’s so much fun to watch,” Halverson said.
Arya Garland, the sophomore libero, had two aces, two assists and 26 digs. Khloe Montes had a big night with an ace, 12 kills and 27 digs.
Kyra Cerini added an ace, six kills and eight digs. Mia Canchola had three kills and 11 assists.
“Mia is getting more confident being the S2 (second setter) and stepping in to set in the front row and hit and block when needed. I love her confidence as she improves,” Halverson said.
Allen had three kills, four solo blocks, eight assists and 12 digs. Jaymie George had nine assists and 12 digs.
“Aaliyah took her leadership role seriously and played a great game. Her consistency is huge for our team’s success,” Halverson said. “And Jaymie’s big serve and soft hands are a deadly combination.”
“We’re excited about taking down the Highlanders. It will be so much fun to play them again.”
The Mustangs played Yerington at home on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Results were not available at press time.
This Saturday, they’ll play a road game with the North Tahoe Lakers.
They’ll host Battle Mountain on Friday, Sept. 20.