Taking on Foothill the varsity Lady Broncs player tries to return the ball over the net. Photo submitted by Stacey Sanders
The old adage is it’s not how you start but how you finish.
The varsity volleyball squad from Kern Valley opened their season on the road at Foothill. They dropped the first set 23-25 to fall behind in the match 1-0. The Lady Broncs reversed the scoring in the second set winning 25-23 and evened the match at 1-1. The third set saw Kern Valley dig out the victory with another 25-23 score.
The Lady Broncs now had the upper hand as they led the match 2-1 and needed one more set win to earn the match victory. In the fourth set, Kern Valley defeated the Lady Trojans 25-20 to win the match and jump out to a 1-0 record to begin the year.
Coming back to win the match, the Lady Broncs delivered four serving aces in the match. As a team they collected 30 kills in 109 attempts. Two players recorded blocks in the match and the defensive digs totaled 51. Leading the way was Ruby Hawkings as she collected 13 kills in the match. Elli Jeans recorded six kills, while Jessie Bunting had four kills. Ellie Allen and Ava Elliott were credited with three kills apiece, while Scarlett Weber earned one kill for the Lady Broncs.
At the net, Hawkings and Elliott were credited with one block each. The four players to deliver serving aces were Alex Armes, Elliott, Jeans, and Bunting. Topping the scoring chart in digs was Jayda Bushling with 16. Jeans followed with 12 digs, while Armes recorded eight. Elliott pitched in with six digs, while Mille Bustamonte had four digs in the match. Allen was able to get to three digs, while Weber and Paisley Wilkins rounded out the defense with one dig apiece.
Head coach Jamie Duran commenting on the match said, “The girls came out a little timid in the first set. By the end of the first set, I was able to see us begin to play our game. Each set showed more comfort and confidence amongst the girls. I’m proud of the resilience. No matter the score or circumstance, they continued to fight for each point.”
She finished up by saying, “Not our best game, but we had great moments that I’m excited to build off of and learning moments that we’ll tackle in practice. Overall, a great start to the season!”
Kern Valley played Shafter at home on Tuesday. They will take the court the this coming Tuesday in McFarland.
