Round Mountain, Beatty carry 1A Central into state volleyball tournament

Round Mountain and Beatty will carry the 1A Central League into this week’s state volleyball tournament after surviving Friday’s regional semifinals in Beatty.

Round Mountain swept Tonopah 3-0 in one semifinal, while Beatty did the same to Indian Springs in the other, securing state berths for both teams before they met later in the day for the regional championship.

The Knights then completed a perfect postseason day with another sweep, defeating Beatty 25-18, 25-12 and 25-15 to claim the Central title.

That sends both teams to Sierra Vista High School in southwest Las Vegas on Thursday for the opening round of the Class 1A state tournament.

Beatty, the Central No. 2 seed, faces Western League champion Smith Valley at 3:30 p.m. Round Mountain, the Central champion, plays Coleville at 8 p.m.

For Round Mountain, another regional championship has become something of a habit.

Same faces, different sports

The Knights have now won the Central title four consecutive years, earning the league’s No. 1 seed at state each season since 2023.

That kind of sustained success is noteworthy anywhere. At a school the size of Round Mountain, it carries another layer.

Information supplied to the newspaper by a Round Mountain parent shows that many of the same athletes compete together across volleyball, basketball and softball. The volleyball roster includes seniors Kaitlynn Nunley and Layla Faga, juniors Samarah Swafford and Addison Rumker, sophomores Piper Trease, Rylie Nowack, Taylor Williamson and Madison Richardson, and freshmen Kyla Dolan and Racheal Banks.

Nunley and Faga have played all three sports throughout high school, while several of their younger teammates have followed the same path.

That helps explain how one small group of athletes has produced a run that extends well beyond volleyball. Round Mountain’s girls basketball program has also been a regular regional contender, and its softball team has made repeated trips to the state tournament.

But volleyball comes first this week.

Rural rivalry

Round Mountain enters state at 13-10 after sweeping both Tonopah and Beatty in the regional tournament. The Knights will face a Coleville team that enters Thursday’s quarterfinal at 16-8.

Beatty, meanwhile, earned its state berth by extending its winning streak to eight matches with the semifinal sweep of Indian Springs.

The Hornets had entered the postseason at 16-4 after a regular season built around teamwork and a roster that coach Crystal Femat believes still has room to grow.

“The team has had an amazing season, probably one of the best years they have had, due to their teamwork and constant drive to better themselves,” Femat said before regionals. “I’m very fortunate to have an amazing team, and even more fortunate that half the team is sophomores.”

That last detail may matter as much as the record.

Barring the usual high school realities — players moving away, changing interests or choosing different activities — Beatty has a core group that could still be playing together two years from now.

Sophomore setter Bella Villanueva has been one of the players Femat has singled out.

“She has one of the best ball placements I’ve seen in all my years coaching,” Femat said.

Femat has also praised Lavender Hart’s power at the net and left-hander Amaia Godinez’s court awareness while emphasizing that Beatty’s success has been spread throughout the roster.

“What I feel the team has done exceptionally well is playing together as a team,” she said. “They’re constantly pushing each other to be better and actually care about winning.”

Beatty’s eight-match winning streak ended against Round Mountain in the regional championship, but the loss did not end the Hornets’ season.

Instead, they head to state at 17-5 with another opportunity Thursday against Smith Valley.

Tonopah’s season ended in the regional semifinal against Round Mountain. The Muckers finished 4-13 after being swept by the eventual regional champions.

There is no complicated postseason math left now.

Round Mountain and Beatty are the Central League’s two remaining teams. Win Thursday and they move into Friday’s state semifinals. Win again and they play Saturday at noon for a Class 1A state championship.

Contact Bill Evans at wevans@pvtimes.com.