San Juan volleyball wins five of seven, sits in 2A top five after busy two weeks

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School volleyball team played seven games in the past two weeks, picking up five wins and suffering two losses. The Lady Broncos are fifth in the 2A RPI standings with a 13-3 record on the year. They’re 4-1 in Region 15 play.
Following the first loss of the season to #1 North Sevier on September 7 the girls bounced back for a four-set win over Gunnison Valley at home on September 12. They won the first two sets 25-12 and 25-20, lost set three 25-19, then closed out the Lady Bulldogs 25-11 in the fourth.
Morgann McPherson led the San Juan attack with 17 kills in the win. Keegan Palmer and Averie Gilson served up two aces apiece. Madden Perkins led with five blocks, Gilson had 11 digs, and Keezie Flannery collected an impressive 34 assists.
The next night the Lady Broncos welcomed a tough opponent to town – the Uintah Utes, a top-ten team in the 4A classification. San Juan was in the fight all night, but ultimately fell in straight sets 25-23, 25-22, and 25-19.
McPherson had ten kills while Gilson had three aces and served 95 percent, Lizzie Palmer got two blocks. McPherson had 14 digs, Miley Harrison received 14 serves, and Flannery collected 20 assists in the loss.
San Juan didn’t let the setback distract them from their task at hand though. On September 17 they played the last of a five-game homestand when they welcomed the Grand County Lady Red Devils to Blanding.
The Lady Broncos got started early and never let up, sweeping their Region 15 rivals 25-18, 25-13, and 25-17. McPherson again led the attack with 12 kills and Harrison had eight in the win.
Keegan Palmer led the team with four aces from behind the line. Lizzie Palmer and Flannery both got two blocks apiece. McPherson had 15 digs in the win and Gilson got 11. And Flannery collected 26 assists.
This past Saturday, September 21 San Juan went through the gauntlet with four games in one day at the Coach B Classic in Parowan. They opened the tournament with a tough 3-1 loss to the host Lady Rams, but swept three straight opponents in Valley, Millard, and Pine View to close out the night.
McPherson averaged 16 kills per game in Parowan with Madi Adams and Harrison averaging six. Flannery served up an average of 2.5 aces per game and McPherson averaged two a game.
Lizzie Palmer led the team with 3.5 blocks per game while Adams tallied three. Gilson had an 11.5 digs-per-game average with McPherson weighing in with seven a game. And Flannery averaged 28 assists per game at the tourney.
The Lady Broncos are gearing up for a big showdown in the SJHS gym this week against the #3 North Summit Lady Braves on Thursday, September 26. They’ll try to sweep the season series against rival Monticello when the Lady Buckaroos come to town on October 1.