The No. 2 ranked McClave Cardinals posted two more wins last week to extend their early season record to 6-0.
McClave beat Kit Carson in three sets by the scores of 25-20, 25-11, 25-17 on Wednesday, Sept. 12 to move to 2-0 in the High Plains League standings.
“We had a great night in Kit Carson,” praised McClave head coach Melissa Steinbrunn. “We had a slow start to the match and initially struggled to create a strong energy and momentum on the court, but once we settled in, the girls battled it out to finish things off in three.”
Steinbrunn added, “These girls are a fun group to work with. They play well together and constantly push themselves to improve their game. Kit Carson always puts together solid teams, and we knew that it would be a tough matchup. I’m pleased that we came out with the win and now we’re looking to push forward.”
At the net, Abrielle Gomez led the way with six kills while Avery Hemphill and Emily Melgoza both posted five kills each for the Lady Cardinals.
Gomez also had four blocks on the night.
Taking care of business in the back row were Ashlynn Steinbrunn with 13 digs and Avery Hemphill added 15.
McKayla Kiniston and Makayla Phillips did a fantastic job splitting setting duties with 11 and 8 assists respectively.
In a battle of state-ranked teams, McClave took care of No. 6 ranked Idalia in four sets by the scores of 25-23 25-15, 21-25, 25-14 on Saturday, Sept. 9.
Gomez and Kiniston combined for 29 kills with 15 and 14 respectively. Hemphill added 12.
On defense, Gomez had 26 digs, Steinbrunn 21, Hemphill 21, Melgoza 16 and Kiniston 14.
Gomez also had 14 blocks and Kiniston had 11.
Phillips set the ball for 23 assists and Kiniston had 18.
Hemphill had 29 serve-receives, Steinbrunn 19, and Gomez 14.
McClave wraps up the week with a non-league match at South Baca on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m.
In other action, the Wiley Lady Panthers ran their record to 5-3 with two wins.
Wiley defeated South Baca 25-13, 22-25, 25-8, 25-20 in an Ark Valley League match on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
On Thursday, Sept. 7, Wiley defeated Granada in three-sets 25-18, 25-22, and 25-17 in a non-league match.
The loss was the first of the season for Granada who fell to 3-1.
With the win, Wiley posted its ninth straight win over Granada since 2007.
All nine wins were posted in three sets by the Lady Panthers.
For the record, Wiley is now 20-1 against Granada dating back to 2007.
The only time the Lady Bobcats beat Wiley was in 2014.
Johanna Brown sparked Wiley at the net with 15 kills. KJ Phillips followed with 7 kills and Sariya Osborn had 5.
In the back row, Kaylee Salgado shined with 19 digs. Katie Salgado followed with 9 digs, Osborn 8, and Claire Pendleton had 7.
Osborn set the ball with 16 assists.
For Granada, ToriLin Riddle had 7 kills and Marissa Valenzuela had 3 ace serves.
Emersen Hernandez had 13 digs, Valenzuela 12, Jaleesa Rodriguez 11, and Paula Aguirre had 10.
In Class 2A, the Holly Lady Wildcats have been on a roll and riding a four-match winning streak.
The Lady Wildcats posted a pair of Santa Fe League wins to improve to 4-1 in league play and 4-2 overall.
Holly notched a 3-0 win over Crowley County. The scores were 25-23, 25-18, 27-25 on Tuesday Sept. 5.
Averee Davis had 6 kills and Selena Fehr had 5 for the Lady Wildcats.
At the service line, Aureonna Diaz had 7 ace serves.
Diaz also paced her team in the back row with 14 digs. Ella Splitter followed with 8 digs, Davis 7, Destiny Corneluis 6, and Madysyn Neugebauer had 5.
Splitter had 12 assists setting the ball.
Holly hosted Walsenburg on Thursday, Sept. 7.
The Lady Wildcats won in four tough sets by the scores of 21-25, 25-18, 25-23, and 25-21.
Josie Kissell had 9 kills to lead the hitting attack for the Wildcats. Davis added 7 kills and Splitter, Fehr, and Anayi Cerros all had 2 kills each.
Fehr also had 4 blocks and Kissell had 3.
Davis added 15 digs, Diaz 12, Janae Frey 7, Splitter 5, Cornelius 5, and Neugebauer had 5.
Holly plays at Swallows Charter Academy on Thursday, Sept. 14 and visits Rye on Saturday, Sept. 16 in a pair of league matches.
