Moapa Valley tops Trojans in 3A quarterfinal thriller — PHOTOS
For six of the senior girls on the Pahrump Valley High School volleyball team, their chapter of being Trojans couldn’t last just a minute longer Tuesday night.
Taking the long drive to Logandale to face the No. 4-seeded Moapa Valley in the Class 3A regional quarterfinals, the Trojans fell three sets to one after leaving it all out on the court.
Previously in this regular season, the Pirates were able to stave off their rivals 3-0 and 3-1, rounding out a season sweep with the quarterfinals victory.
In their opening set, the Trojans mounted multiple long rallies before the Pirates sailed away with the set 25-13.
It took a minute but the Trojans secured a set of their own in the second 25-23 following key kills by Miani Freitas-Faamai and Xe’ane Kamanu, who’s constantly been spotted all year in high-flying action.
Feeling the pressure mount against them with a full home crowd in support, the Pirates unhooked the anchors and made scurvy of the Trojans defense. Exploiting the front line with soft touches in the corners, multiple diving attempts from sophomore Sedona Norton and senior Heavenly Ware were to no avail.
The Pirates quickly built a six-point lead that proved too wide of a margin for the Trojans to rally as Moapa Valley quickly was back in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 set lead after winning set three 25-17.
Needing just one more win to not force a fifth set, the Trojans did everything in their power to see the court once more but were unsuccessful.
“There were more times that they were playing some of their best volleyball of the season. Unfortunately, we couldn’t sustain that level of play for the entirety of the match,” head coach Amber Lugo said. “I will not take anything away from Moapa because they played tough the entire time. Our match was much closer than the scores suggest.”
Despite the rally that was charged by diving plays by Sedona, Riley Saldana and Madison Rodriguez, the Trojans were outmatched by the serving skill set of the Pirates.
Leading the team in kills for the night, Kamanu delivered 13 while Waller wasn’t far behind with 10 of her own. Heavenly Ware, Amaliah Mendoza and Henna Maivava recorded two aces each. As always, the Trojans libero, Norton, was everywhere on the court, recording a team-best 19 digs on the evening. Norton also took most of the pressure on serves as she received 34 balls, while Ware wasn’t far behind with 29.
Drawing a close to the year, the Trojans expect to make another playoff push next season as coach Lugo is set to return with some new younger talent making its way up.
Trojans fans can expect to see the faces of some of this year’s leaders returning next season including Norton, Kamanu, Freitas-Faamai, and Saldana.
”My favorite times this year were watching the girls’ reactions when they did well or “got it”. Also, the times spent together at the tournaments where there was growth and bonding,” Lugo said. “I plan to continue to build a program with a high level of skill and a mindset of constant growth, while developing resilience and competitiveness.”
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
