Virgin Valley rallied from an early deficit to defeat The Meadows 25-27, 25-16, 25-22, 25-21 on Saturday and claim the 3A girls volleyball state championship at Sierra Vista High School. The Bulldogs, the Southern Region's top seed, became the only Nevada team to beat the five-time defending champion Mustangs this season, having also defeated them in the regional playoffs.
The match turned after a tightly contested first set that saw Virgin Valley lead 15-13 before The Meadows scored six straight points to eventually win 27-25. The Bulldogs then seized momentum, never trailing in a 25-16 second-set victory. After a 12-all tie in the third set, Virgin Valley went on an 8-1 run to take a 2-1 match lead.
The Meadows appeared poised to force a fifth set with a 20-17 lead in the fourth, but the Bulldogs surged back to close out the championship on an 8-1 run. "We knew they were going to come for us," Virgin Valley coach Kortney Tobler said. "We knew a lot of their tendencies and we worked really hard on our game plan. I think it really paid off for us."
Junior outside hitter Kinley Hughes led the Bulldogs with 22 kills, 14 digs, two blocks and an ace, while senior libero Mady Wright added a team-high 23 digs and three aces. "It just felt so surreal," Hughes said. "We gave it all. (The Meadows) has won a lot, but we just came out hungry." For The Meadows, senior Piper Kennedy had 15 kills and 11 digs, and freshman libero Olivia Brown recorded 11 kills and three aces.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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