Eureka Girls Take Two Matches

Eureka volleyball moved along like a well-oiled machine last weekend winning a pair against Round Mountain and Owyhee. Scores at Round Mountain were 25-14, 25-9, 25-14.

In Eureka against Owyhee, for the opening game of the league season, it was 3-1 for Eureka with scores being 23-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-10.

Facing Owyhee was a challenge coach Katie Benson said, “because we had been up late getting home from Round Mountain about midnight, so we were a bit tired. But after splitting two close first sets, Alia Minoletti gave us a spark to get us going in the third and fourth games. She had 14 kills and 25 digs”.

Owyhee, the defending league champions, had a big run on the Lady Vandals in game one, Benson said. “But we came back and only lost by two points. We took game two by four.”

She said it was in the third game, “that we really started playing more like we can, being more together, feeling more confident. They played well.”

In the Owyhee match, Shauna Brown had 34 digs which moves her now into second place in the 1A NIAA record book for most digs in a given match, behind Amanda Wellman of Lake Mead with 41 in 2008. She also had 38 assists. The 1A state record for assists in a single match is 49 by Paunani Lonetti of Trinity Christian in Las Vegas (2000).

Carlie Wells added 17 digs for the Lady Vandals against Owyhee. “We were playing some awesome defense against them,” Benson said.

This week, Eureka (1-0, 15-3) has three league matches in a row, first on Thursday at Carlin, then on Friday and Saturday at home against Wells and Jackpot.

Eureka downed Carlin 2-0 in the Battle Mountain tournament Sept. 1, but has not yet played Wells or Jackpot.