'Stangs, Knights, Cougars honor seniors
Teams celebrate final home matches with victories
LAKE COUNTY >> The Middletown, Kelseyville and Upper Lake varsity volleyball teams honored their seniors prior to play Tuesday night and while all of the seniors received flowers and other gifts as is customary during the final home match of the regular season, their other parting gift was even better — a win.
In North Central League I action Tuesday, Middletown knocked off Willits 25-18, 25-16, 25-17 to snap a three-match losing streak; Kelseyville defeated Cloverdale 2516, 21-25, 26-24, 25-19; and in NCL II action it was Upper Lake sweeping Technology of Rohnert Park 2512, 25-14, 25-20.
Middletown
Honored before taking the floor against Willits were Middletown seniors Jaidyn Brown, Camille Schaffer, Kamryn Atkins, Skylar Williams, Ella Sust and Parker Wink, all of whom contributed to the Mustangs' three-set sweep of the Wolverines.
“Basically my whole roster is going to graduate,” Middletown head coach Vanessa Davis said. “We also honored Willits' four seniors with flowers. It was a nice ceremony and then they topped it off with a great win.”
Brown, the team's libero, led the way with 22 digs and 10 service points.
“She had another awesome match and she will be deeply missed next year,” Davis said. “She's amazing and hilarious. That girl has given me so many laughs.”
Schaffer added six kills, three blocks, five points and an ace.
“She was owing the net tonight,” Davis said.
Sust, one of the team's two setters (Wink is the other), had 10 points, nine assists, nine digs and two aces. Wink finished with 12 points, nine assists and two aces, and Atkins had four kills and two blocks.
“I love this group so much,” Davis said. “They are amazing. They are leaving some huge holes to fill next season.”
Middletown (9-6 league, 15-16 overall) will apply for an at-large berth Sunday in the North Coast Section Division 4 playoffs, which begin next week. The Division 4 field will be released Sunday afternoon. Before that, the Mustangs still have one league match remaining, that on Thursday against NCL I champion Roseland University Prep in Santa Rosa.
“We're going to try and do it,” Davis said of beating RUP in a league match, which hasn't happened since the Knights joined the NCL I last season. “It just depends which Mustangs team decides to show up.”
Middletown also won the junior varsity match Tuesday night, beating Willits 25-12, 25-21 behind solid serving from Evelyn Finney and Beverly Fetters.
“They did step it up big time tonight,” head coach Erika Galvan said of the Mustangs.
Middletown had a 14-12 lead in the first set when Finney stepped to the line and served 11 straight points, including three aces, to nail down the victory.
“That was huge,” Galvan said. “Her serves are hard and they move, which makes it really tough to pass them.”
Middletown was struggling in the second set until Fetters served six points in a row.
“We very much needed that,” Galvan said.
At the net, the Mustangs received five kills apiece from Harley Holley (on 11 arm swings) and Carly Johnson (on nine arm swings).
“She was on fire tonight,” Galvan said of Johnson.
“They played together well,” Galvan said in summing up Middletown's effort against the Wolverines.
Trying to finish the season strong are the young Knights (5-10), who honored seniors Maddy Madrzyk and Karissa Holland, both of whom played well in a fourset win over the Cloverdale Eagles.
Defense was the key for Kelseyville as four different players finished with 10 or more digs.
“It was a good night for us,” Kelseyville head coach Donelle McCallister said of her team's defensive effort.
Cali Schnabl led the Knights with 19 digs, Jayden Paulich added 18 more, Madrzyk finished with 14, Olivia Hommer had 12 and Victoria Rodriguez 10.
Up front, Nyejzniya Krohn pounded out a teambest 10 kills while Holland had eight.
Kelseyville closes out league play and its season Thursday in Willits.
Cloverdale won the JV match 25-16, 25-22.
Upper Lake
The Upper Lake Cougars honored seniors Madison Noble, Nathaly Velasco, Taylar Minnis, Maddie Hayenga, Karla Martin and Rylee Dalton before beating Technology in three sets to wrap up a 10-4 NCL II season. Noble and Velasco are both fouryear varsity starters.
In addition to being senior night, it also was Breast Awareness Night, so there was plenty of pink in a packed Upper Lake gym, according to head coach Dani Paige Gudmundson Pena, who played only her six seniors in the first set.
“We played our normal rotation in the second set,” Gudmundson Pena said. “In the third set we played our normal rotation until the final five points, then we put all of the seniors back out there.”
“They're a fun group,” Gudmundson Pena said of the seniors. “They have lots of energy and they do lots of singing. Oh my God, lots of singing.”
Grace Academy forfeited the JV match to Upper Lake, but Upper Lake's volleyball coaching staff played the JVs in a three-set exhibition match. The staff won the first two sets.
Upper Lake will apply for an at-large berth in the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs, which open next week. The Division 5 field will be announced Sunday afternoon.