Lady Cougars volleyball runs record to 7-3 with four wins in two weeks

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The Monument Valley volleyball team picked up two key Region 19 wins this past week and went 2-3 at the Window Rock Invitational August 30-31, improving to 7-3 on the season.
After the Lady Cougars swept the rival Whitehorse Lady Raiders in the first 2024-25 Battle of the Drum on August 29 they hit the road for Ft. Defiance, AZ on August 30 to play in the two-day Window Rock Invitational.
On day one they faced Window Rock and Winslow in very speedy, one-set tournament matches, losing both. They bounced back for a 2-0 win over Greyhills Academy, taking both sets by a score of 21-9.
Monument Valley fell to Rock Point in their second Saturday matchup two sets to one. The Lady Cougars won the opening set 21-13 but lost the following two 21-14 and 11-7. They finished off the tournament with a nice two-set win over Wingate 21-17 and 21-12.
This past week the girls bolstered their region record with wins over Pinnacle and Green River. On Friday, September 13 Monument Valley traveled to Price, topping the Pinnacle Lady Panthers in four sets.
It was a slow start for the Lady Cougars with a 28-26 loss in the opening set. But they got in gear and swept the remaining sets 25-18, 25-18, and 25-11 for the victory.
Naomi White and Sloane Sheppard combined to lead the team with 12 and ten kills respectively. Enderya Hernandez and Dakotah Cly both collected six kills apiece. Kaylisa Tome and Shaundin Blackwater had four each.
White served up nine aces in the win. Sheppard had five and Ayainna Cly got four. Shilah Williams led the team with seven digs. Tome posted 24 assists while Cly got 16.
Monument Valley closed out the past week with an easy straight-sets win over Green River on Saturday, September 14, 25-13, 25-22, and 25-8.
White led with 12 kills, Cly had eight, and Blackwater six. Nesbah Hunt collected four aces while Tome and Cly got two apiece. Williams had two digs. Tome and Cly had 17 and 16 assists respectively.
The Lady Cougars were 7-3 on the season to begin this week and 3-0 in Region 19 play. They were fifth in the 1A RPI standings but that may have changed with a key region matchup in Monticello that was played on Tuesday, September 17 after the San Juan Record press deadline.
The team is next in action against the Pinon, AZ Lady Eagles on Tuesday, September 24.