Jose's second volleyball article.

Home Court Pays Off for the Silver Knights
APPLE VALLEY - The Riverside Prep girls volleyball team didn’t need an actual home court to stay undefeated in league play. They didn’t need the game to start on time either.
Thursday’s home matchup against Cross Valley League rival University Prep was played 11 1/2 miles from Riverside Prep and UP showed up an hour late because they couldn’t get a bus to Sitting Bull Middle School, where the match was played.
Despite the difficulties, the Silver Knights defeated the Jaguars 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 26-24, 25-15) to remain atop the CVL standings.
“Normally we do our home games at their gym,” Riverside Prep coach Amy Sarkesian said. “Last year we did that, and I’m convinced that was part of the reason we lost against them. They have so much support there that we were the vistors even for our home game. I told the athletic director, please, this year give us our home game against UP at Sitting Bull.”
The Silver Knights (6-2, 3-0 CVL) beat the defending league champion Jaguars (6-6-1, 2-2 CVL) for the second time in as many matches. Riverside Prep won this time without Ofa Moa Samfong, whom Sarkesian called their star. SamFong is on vacation and out of action for two weeks.
With SamFong out of action, a pair of seniors stepped up for the Silver Knights.
“Destiny Fernandez and Vanessa Keyes both did an excellent job tonight picking up the slack,” Sarkesian said.
Fernandez had 12 kills, three aces, two blocks, and one dig to lead the Silver Knights. Keyes added
University Prep took the first set 25-19, in large part due to 16 errors by Riverside Prep.
Both teams committed more than 15 errors in the second set, but the Silver Knights were able to grab a 25-21 victory.
“I don’t think we changed (anything) at all,” University Prep coach Heather Martin said. “RP stopped making mistakes they were making, and we just started making a few more.”
The Silver Knights grabbed the lead when they won a back-and-forth third set 26-24, punctuated by a kill by Chelsea Baker.
Riverside Prep and Baker carried the momentum into the fourth set. Baker had three straight aces for at one point and 10 of the senior’s serves resulted in points for the Silver Knights.
“We came back strong,” Sarkesian said. “The league that we’re in, there is not a lot of competitive teams. They get really flustered with UP especially beacuse they’re our rival school. I was really proud of them tonight.”
University Prep is still looking for the mojo it had last season. The Jaguars have a new look after losing four starters from last season’s league championship team.
“RP stepped up their game a little bit,” Martin said. “Overall, I’m not displeased with them. There were some long games, some long rallies, and they kept through it pretty well.”
Marissa Rados led the way for the Jaguars with seven kills and 27 digs.

Jose's First Volleyball Game

Fun is Key for Apple Valley

The Apple Valley volleyball team is using the banner hanging in their gym as motivation to add a league championship to the school’s volleyball banner. The school hasn’t accomplished that feat since 1996. 

The Sun Devils beat Serrano 3-1 in a Mojave River League match. The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead after winning the first set 25-20. Apple Valley didn’t have answer for Serrano’s Savannah Ekis. Ekis led the team with seven kills, Annie Smolenski added three in the first set. 

A bit of controversy in the second set tied the score at 24-24, when a point was awarded to Serrano (3-1) after the Sun Devils’ Morgan Lyneis was ruled a late substitution. Apple Valley took the lead after a kill from Lyneis. Lauren Coffee won the set after scoring an ace to even the match 1-1.

The Sun Devils (4-0 MRL) rode the momentum with a 25-23 third-set win capped with a kill from Courtney Klein.  

Apple Valley didn’t let up in the fourth and final set after taking a 4-3 lead. Klein managed four straight aces to put the Sun Devils up 15-8, sending the home crowd wild.  

After a game winning spike from Sydni Ulibarri, the Sun Devils celebrated at center court. The team and their coach Casie Brooks did something not many teams do with their coach — they were having fun, while still keeping the competitive edge. The team gathered up and did a special dance inspired by the Green Bay Packers.

“I watch football, and everyone knows Aaron Rodgers’ ‘Discount Double-Check’. And they know (B.J.) Raji State Farm (commercial)” said Brooks. “We’ve been having problems with our energy, and just having fun, and them getting serious with working out. So I kind of wanted to make it fun for the girls and I brought in the ‘Discount Double-Check’ and the Raji dance. I told them they better do it tonight. It brought some fun and we’re going to keep doing it.”

The Sun Devils had fun playing, and their hard work paid off. Ulibarri and Lyneis ended the match with double digit kills, Ulibarri with 14 and Lyneis with 11 — Klein ended with nine kills, one block, and and five aces.

Serrano’s Elers ended her night with 14 kills, Nohelly Brown led the D-Backs with 19 kills in a game where the team commited 19 errors — four more than Apple Valley.

The win was huge for the Sun Devils in their quest for the league championship. It was the first victory for Apple Valley over the Diamondback in the last six contests. 

“To have that win makes all the work that we’ve put in all these years, the late-night practices, working at home practicing, all come together,” Klein said. “It feels so good to have that win.”

“It was all mental in our head, and we wanted this. We wanted the game, we all knew we wanted it and came together as a team.”

Serrano looks to rebound when the travel to face Sultana on Thursday. Apple Valley hosts Hesperia on Thursday in the hopes to keep the quest for the league championship alive.