Lady Eagles volleyball squad falters within division

Jim Konst/special to vIEWLady Eagles junior setter Paxton Fleming serves the ball in a match against the Virgin Valley Bulldogs at home on Oct. 17. Junior middle-hitter Lexi Jorgensen is ready for any return. Advertisement

The Boulder City High School varsity girls volleyball team started the 2008 season with some impressive early victories but ran into rough sledding in division play, finishing in fourth place with an 0-6 league record.

Head coach Cherise Roe was upbeat at the end of the season in her assessment of the team's performance, despite the Lady Eagles' struggles against divisional foes.

"We had a good season," Roe said. "We had a young team that played very well against the Division 4A competition at the beginning of the season. Our toughest competition was our league games."

The Lady Eagles started the season in strong fashion, winning a Sept. 16 match against visiting Needles High School from California in three straight games and then taking a match 3-0 over visiting Foothill High School of Henderson Sept. 25. Boulder City's fortunes started to turn south Oct. 3 when the team travled to Overton and lost a match in three straight games to the Moapa Valley Pirates, a divisional power.

In the first round of the NIAA Southern Class 3A Girls Division Volleyball Championship Tournament played Nov. 7 at Moapa Valley High School in Overton, the Lady Eagles took on the division-leading Pirates and found themselves again on the short end of the score. Boulder City battled hard, but lost in straight games (25-13, 25-13, 25-19), ending the year for the Lady Eagles.

"We had a good season," Boulder City junior setter Paxton Fleming said. "It was a lot of fun, but I wish we could have ended the year better in the playoffs. I had a good year, but I'm gonna work hard on my setting in the off-season and come back even better in 2009."

Roe praised her players' strong teamwork and work ethic in the face of adversity.

"The girls played very well together as a team this year," Roe said. "There was great team cohesiveness and chemistry on and off the volleyball court, and they were probably one of the best teams I've had in a while."

Moapa Valley went on to win the division tournament and advance to the NIAA Class 3A Girls Volleyball State Championship Tournament at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno on Nov. 14-15. The Pirates lost in the first round at Reno, and Yerington emerged to become the NIAA Class 3A girls volleyball state champion.

The Boulder City girls said they enjoyed their time on the volleyball court even when victories were hard to come by.

"We played so well together this year," Fleming said. "We got along great, enjoyed playing volleyball and always had a smile on our faces."

Senior Julia Jeppson was named to the 2008 NIAA Southern Class 3A All-Division First Team at her middle-hitter position.

Juniors Fleming (setter) and Kelsey Ripplinger (Libero) were named to the All-Division Second Team. Junior Lexi Jorgensen received All-Division honorable mention recognition at middle-hitter.

The 2008 NIAA Southern Class 3A All-Academic Team award went to the Boulder City players as a group.

Because the Lady Eagles lost their top middle-hitter from last season, some of the younger girls stepped up to fill the gap. The team played its best when the players employed the bump, set and spike fundamentals taught by Roe. Defensively, the Lady Eagles were known for hustling on every play.

The starters for the varsity Lady Eagles were Jeppsen and Jorgensen at the middle-hitters positions, Fleming at setter, junior Hannah Inman at opposite-side hitter, junior Dylan Scott at outside-hitter, and Ripplinger at the Libero position.

Ripplinger comes from a long line of sisters who have starred for the Lady Eagles volleyball program over the years.

The other member of the varsity squad wereseniors Lauren Christian and Michelle Coe, juniors Alexas Cota and Malorie Morrill, and sophomore Dallas Frantz.

The captains were Fleming and Jeppsen.

Roe was assisted in coaching at the varsity level by her husband, Steve. Jessica Paris was the junior varsity volleyball coach, and Stephani Glines coached the freshmen.

The members of the junior varsity volleyball team were junior Erica Reinke; sophomores Stephanie Adams, Rachel Baird, Emily Boyster, Dallas Frantz, Shelby Gebhart, Kayla Nix, Ariel O'Neill and Dana Prach; and freshmen Taylor McKeever and Alison Rants.

"We should do a lot better as a team next season," Fleming said, "because this was really a rebuilding year. We only lose two seniors and have four starters returning."

The varsity team will lose seniors Christian, Coe and Jeppsen to graduation.

If they continue to play club volleyball in the off-season and remain dedicated to their sport, the Lady Eagles may be able to set their sights on a division title next year, their coach said.

"Next year, we'll have most of our starters back," Roe said. "We have some good JV players coming up next year who should challenge for starting positions in 2009."

If you have suggestions for future Boulder City sports features, contact Jim Konst at JKONST54@aol.com.