Monument Valley volleyball team third in 1A standings after winning two of three
by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The Monument Valley High School volleyball team won two of three matches in the past week, improving to 12-8 on the season. They’re the top-ranked team among the three rivals in southeastern Utah, in third in the 1A RPI standings.
On October 4 the Lady Cougars hosted the Pinnacle Academy Lady Panthers and had no trouble dispatching their Region 19 opponents in straight sets 25-11, 25-10, and 25-22.
Dakotah Cly and Naomi White had five kills each in the win. White and Nesbah Hunt served up four aces apiece. White led the team with three blocks, Hunt had six digs, and Kaylisa Tome collected 11 assists.
On October 5 the Monument Valley girls welcomed Green River to town and once again they defeated their opponents in straight sets for another Region 19 win 25-14, 25-18, and 25-13.
Cly mustered an impressive 12 kills in the win. Shaundin Blackwater had seven and White got six. For the second game in a row Cly and White once again had four aces each.
White and Blackwater had two blocks each in the game. Shilah Williams led the team with five digs. And Tome got an amazing 28 assists while Cly had 12.
This past Tuesday, October 8 Monument Valley traveled to Rock Point, AZ to take on another group of Lady Cougars – of the Rock Point High School variety.
Monument Valley won the opening set 25-18, but from that point they had their hands full as Rock Point rallied to win three straight sets to take the match 3-1.
The loss was just Monument Valley’s third in eight games. Not only are they 12-8 on the season, they’re also 5-1 in Region 19. Their only loss in region play came against Monticello on September 17.
Heading into the final games of the regular season Naomi White’s 64 aces are tied for 15th-most in the state. She’s a freshman, by the way.
The Lady Cougars will close out their regular season with three games over the course of the next week. On Wednesday, October 16 they welcome the Rough Rock, AZ Lady Sun Devils to the MVHS gym.
On Thursday, October 17 it’s the Battle of the Drum when the girls travel to Montezuma Creek to take on the rival Whitehorse Lady Raiders.
On Tuesday, October 22 Monument Valley will visit Monticello for another Region 19 rivalry showdown, trying to split their season series with the Lady Buckaroos.