The JV Lady Broncs volleyball team was able to hold onto second place despite falling to Frazier Mountain the previous week.
The final week of the season saw Kern Valley take on Rosamond and Cal City. They would collect wins in both home matches to cement their second place finish in the HDL. They would sweep both of their opponents and end their year with a 14-5 overall record. The Lady Broncs capped their season with an 11-3 HDL mark that was good enough for to finish in second place. They took care of Rosamond 25-9 and 26-24 to earn the match win. In the Cal City match Kern Valley had to battle as the scores of both sets were close. They took command of the match in set one with a 25-20 win. They grabbed the match with a 25-23 victory in the second set.
In both matches it was a team effort as all players contributed in earning the victory. The Lady Broncs rallied to stay focused and keep the score in their favor. In the Rosamond contest, their were only eight serving aces in the match. Sharing the lead in aces were Kenadie Young and Brynnleigh McCarthy with two each. Jade Montes, Anna Allen, Riley Wilkins, and Taylor Kristy had one ace apiece. Two Lady Broncs players shared the lead in kills. McCarthy and Amber McAhren delivered three kills apiece. Samantha Wyly, Montes, Allen, Kristy, and Young each had one kill for the Kern Valley team.
Eight Lady Broncs team members recorded at least one dig in the contest. They were led by Ashley Plante with 11. Kristy and Wyly each had eight digs, while Young contributed six. Keira Hayes and Kiki Smith finished with a pair of digs. Rounding out the digs were McAhren, Wilkins, and McCarthy with one apiece. Kristy was the team leader in assists with 11.
Versus Cal City, another strong defensive game helped Kern Valley secure the victory over the Lady Ravens. This time there were 12 players from Kern Valley to earn a dig. Plantes topped the team with 10 digs. Wyly, and McCarthy each had four, while Young delivered three digs. Montes and Emmalyn Bechtel had a pair of digs in the match. Smith, Allen, McAhren, Wilkins, Hayes, and Kristy recorded one dig apiece. McCarthy was credited with the lone block in his match for the Lady Broncs, while Kristy led the team with 15 assists. Wyly recorded one assist to close out the defense of Kern Valley.
The previous week, the Lady Broncs split matches with Desert and Frazier Mountain. They toppled Desert in two sets 25-16 and 25-23. The loss came at the hands of the Lady Falcons. This match was sent to the decider. In the first set the marathon battle saw Kern Valley win 29-27. The second set was another battle that went to Frazier Mountain 26-24. In the decider, the Lady Falcons were able to pull away and win the set 15-11 to send Kern Valley to the loss.
In dividual stats versus Desert: Service Aces: Young 2, McCarthy 2, Montes 1, Wilkins 1.
Kills: Kristy 4, Montes 3, McCarthy 2, Wilkins 2, McAhren 1, Young 1. Setter Assists: Kristy 7, Plante 2.
Digs: Wyly 7, Plante 6, Young 5, Kristy 3, Bechtel 3, Montes 2, Smith 1, Wilkins 1.
In dividual stats versus Frazier Mountain: Service aces: McCarthy 3, McAhren 2, Young 2, Wyly, Wilkins 1, Kristy 1. Kills: Montes 7, Wyly 3, McCarthy 3, Young 2, McAhren 1, Wilkins 1, Kirsty 1, Plante 1. Setter Assists: Kristy 18. Digs: Plante 24, Wyly 24, Young 13, Bechtel 8, Kristy 5, Montes 1, McCarthy 1.
Kern Valley head coach Jessica Yasin said, “We had a great season finishing 14-5 overall and 11-3 in league. The huge win over Mammoth placed us tied for second in league. We had an amazing year of growth as well as success. I am very much looking forward to next year and coaching a majority of these amazing girls again.”
With the success this Lady Broncs team had this season, next year could mean a step further in creating a volleyball program that other teams have to contend with.
