VHS volleyball sweeps Boulder City in 3A Southern opener

BOULDER CITY — As Dolly Parton’s rendition of the national anthem played over the gym speakers, a good-sized group of Pahrump Valley supporters settled in after the nearly two-hour drive.

Once the match began, the Trojans quickly made the trip worthwhile.

The Trojans were never seriously challenged Tuesday as they opened 3A Southern League play with a 25-16, 25-17, 25-20 sweep of Boulder City.

Pahrump Valley established control early in the opening set and never surrendered it. The Eagles had few answers for the Trojans at the net or from the service line, and what began as a comfortable advantage became a nine-point victory.

The pattern continued throughout the match. Boulder City drew slightly closer in each successive set, but never came close enough to force a fourth.

That made the performance a direct answer to the concern coach Amber Lugo identified before the season.

“Our biggest challenge right now is consistency,” Lugo said in an Aug. 18 email. “We have great moments; we just have to sustain that level of play for an entire match.”

Against Boulder City, the Trojans did exactly that.

They finished with a 27-21 advantage in kills and recorded 12 service aces while allowing only two. Pahrump Valley also collected 50 digs to Boulder City’s 38 and finished with 27 assists.

Senior Riley Saldana led the attack with 11 kills and added two blocks. Mckinsey Nottingham converted her only attack opportunity to a kill.

The support Pahrump Valley received was also notable. Despite the lengthy week-night drive, a solid contingent of Trojans fans made the trip and occupied a sizable portion of the visiting side of the gym.

The sweep gave the Trojans their fifth victory of the season and a 1-0 start in league play.

Pahrump Valley could not sustain the same level two nights later, however, falling at home to Virgin Valley 25-17, 25-13, 28-26.

The Trojans struggled through the first two sets before putting together their best stretch of the match in the third. They pushed the Bulldogs beyond the regulation 25-point finish before Virgin Valley finally completed the sweep.

Saldana again led Pahrump Valley with 13 kills. Miani Freitas-Faamai added five kills and two blocks.

The teams were close in several statistical categories. Virgin Valley finished with a 31-27 advantage in kills, while Pahrump Valley held a 5-4 edge in blocks. The Bulldogs recorded nine service aces to the Trojans’ five.

Lugo said before the season that the difficult early schedule, which included several larger schools, was intended to reveal what the Trojans needed to address before league play.

“This makes us compete early in the season and shows what we need to work on before league starts,” she said.

The opening week of league competition offered evidence of both sides of that process: a complete performance against Boulder City, followed by a match in which the Trojans did not find that consistency until the final set.

Pahrump Valley finished the week 5-7 overall and 1-1 in league play.