Volleyball shows fight in road loss to Desert League leaders Boulder City
Win or lose, this group of young men sure knows how to have fun no matter what the final scoreboard reflects.
On Wednesday, the Pahrump Valley High School’s boys volleyball program made their way down to Boulder City alongside softball and baseball to take on the Eagles for their first match since April 1.
Falling to the Class 3A Desert League leaders in three sets, the Trojans (3-12, 1-2) were able to take a quick 4-2 lead in the first set before the Eagles quickly nestled into their home court.
Before you know it, the league rivals took a commanding 10-point lead and closed out the opening set, but not before the Trojans got to nearly even the score, up 25-19.
Boulder City pulled away late in the set, receiving strong serving from David Zwahlen and Thomas Allen, who combined for six aces.
The Eagles carried that momentum into the second set, using a balanced attack and crisp ball movement - finishing with 37 assists as a team to overwhelm Pahrump Valley 25-13.
The third set followed a similar script, as Boulder City’s defense tightened.
The Eagles recorded four total blocks and held the Trojans to just 12 points, sealing the sweep.
In addition to his offensive production, David Zwahlen contributed 11 digs, while Preston VanBeveren added seven.
James Peel orchestrated the offense with 15 assists, and Tyler Bradshaw added 12 more, keeping the attack flowing throughout the match.
Pahrump Valley showed flashes defensively, totaling 48 digs behind senior Andy Sanchez’s 10 and Nicholas Watson and Jack Schable with seven apiece, but couldn’t overcome inconsistencies in service receptions and attacking efficiency.
Despite the set results, multiple Trojans gave a valiant effort on the floor, totaling 48 total digs in the match. The team was led by Sanchez with 10, Watson (7) and Schable (7).
Boulder City also controlled the service game, recording nine aces compared to five for Pahrump Valley, further widening the gap.
“Boulder is one of the top teams in our league. I felt our boys had moments of great play as they are figuring out their positions,” Trojans head coach Amber Lugo said. “Inexperience is still our greatest weakness but I am seeing huge growth from match to match so I can’t be disappointed.”
With the win, Boulder City continues to build momentum in one of their most complete performances of the season.
If it seemed like the ball often floated near the Trojans outside hitter, Andy Sanchez, your observations wouldn’t be far off.
The Pahrump Valley senior finished with a team-high 20 service receptions while averaging 6.7 receptions per set, followed by seniors William Coen with 10 ( 3.3 RPS) and Nicholas Watson with 8 (2.7 RPS).
The Eagles ran a very balanced offense, finishing with 39 kills on a .383 hitting percentage, while keeping constant pressure from the service line.
Boulder City senior David Zwahlen led the program with 11 kills on a blistering .474 hitting clip, while senior Preston VanBeveren added eight kills and a team-best .538 percentage.
Senior Gibson Lamoreaux and sophomore Noah Lund chipped in seven and six kills, respectively, as Boulder City showcased the talent widespread through their roster.
Despite Pahrump Valley establishing multiple set rallies between Sanchez, Elijah Thompson, Nicholas Watson and William Coen, the Trojans struggled to find a consistency to their offense.
Hitting -.027 as a team with 16 errors, Sanchez paced the Trojans with six kills, but was forced into tough swings throughout the match against a disciplined Eagles defense, who answered Sanchez’s kills with grace.
From the service line, Sanchez led with four followed by Thompson who earlier in the match earned himself one.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
