ROUNDUP: Las Vegas cools off Desert Pines in boys volleyball
After his team won eight of its first nine matches, Desert Pines boys volleyball coach Sean Abid knew his team was on the rise.
But Wednesday’s match against defending Class 4A state champion Las Vegas showed Abid exactly how far the Jaguars still need to go.
The visiting Wildcats used accurate passing and air-tight defense to dominate Desert Pines 25-7, 25-8, 25-12 in a Northeast League match that took a little less than 40 minutes to complete.
“They’re the gold standard in our division,” Abid said. “They elevate everybody else. We’re not there yet, but we’re going to work hard to try.”
Aaron Hansen led Las Vegas (6-2, 4-0 Northwest) with 12 kills, and Braeden Wilson added seven kills, 10 digs and three aces. Setter
Danny Farias was the beneficiary of the Wildcats’ strong passing as he dished out 33 assists to go with five aces.
“This is one of our best teamwork games,” Wildcats coach Sue Thurman said. “We knew Desert Pines was undefeated (in league), and we knew Desert Pines was a much-improved program. They have guys that can jump at the net and guys who can hit the ball.
“This shows me when we keep our consistency going, we have a lot of possibilities.”
The Jaguars (8-2, 3-1) trailed 11-7 in the first game before tough serving from Wilson put Las Vegas in control. Wilson put down a kill to make it 12-7 and then had 13 consecutive service points, including two aces, to close the game.
Two kills by Hansen helped Las Vegas take a 6-1 advantage in Game 2, and the Wildcats were up 14-6 before reeling off 11 of the final 13 points.
“I definitely feel like we connected better on the court,” said Hansen, who had five kills in the second game. “We came in more focused and more determined as a team. I think we learned a lot from this game.”
Desert Pines regrouped early in Game 3 and trailed only 7-4, but the Wildcats scored six straight points. Back-to-back aces by Farias put Las Vegas up 20-8, and Chris Gbelay finished the match with one of his six kills.
“One of the big words we talked about focusing on was team discipline,” Thurman said. “We definitely have some hard-working kids, and all five of our hitters can hold their own at the net.”
Dominique Lawrence led the Jaguars with four kills, and Michael Tran added five digs.
“We didn’t have that passion, but don’t take anything away from them,” Abid said. “Vegas is just good. They forced most of those mistakes.”
Rancho 3, Chaparral 0 — At Rancho, Kevin Wadsworth had 22 assists and seven aces to carry the Rams to a 25-17, 25-18, 25-11 home victory over the Cowboys.
Antonio Boucher added eight kills and Adam Johnson seven for Rancho.
Valley 3, Canyon Springs 1 — At Canyon Springs, Jim Videaux compiled 30 assists, eight digs and six blocks, and Alonzo Blount added 18 kills and three blocks to help the Vikings beat the Pioneers, 25-16, 21-25, 25-17, 25-23.
Gideon Tesfai contributed nine kills and five blocks for Valley.
For Canyon Springs, R.J. Estevez had 31 assists and five blocks and Kapahu Kahalepo tallied four aces, 12 kills and three blocks.
Garvin Tabangcura made 18 digs.
Bonanza 3, Desert Oasis 0 — At Desert Oasis, Scott Davis spiked seven kills to help Bonanza breeze past the Diamondbacks, 25-8, 25-7, 25-20.
Mike Hartmann had seven aces for the Bengals.
Trevor Zarvian led Desert Oasis with six assists.
Sierra Vista 3, Bishop Gorman 0 — At Sierra Vista, Zach Waldron recorded 19 assists, two kills and three blocks, and Kohl Homeyer supplied 10 kills as the Grizzlies beat the Gaels, 25-17, 25-16, 25-14.
Marvi Sanchez added 10 kills for Sierra Vista.
Cameron Tom had 13 assists and Alex Turner four blocks for Gorman.
Durango 3, Clark 1 — At Clark, Thor Jaleco dished out 27 assists to spark Durango to a 25-20, 25-25, 24-26, 25-19 road victory over Clark.
Mark Baurtigam added 12 kills and Kevin Petersen seven for the Trailblazers.
Johnny Phane led Clark with seven kills. Dave Samson added five kills and John Baugus four for the Chargers.
Basic 3, Eldorado 0 — At Basic, Mike Lunen had 32 assists and Jenson Lavallee supplied 17 kills and seven digs to help the Wolves beat the Sundevils, 25-10, 25-16, 25-17.
Jordan Pils had seven kills and eight digs and Jarin Fillitoe added eight digs for Basic.
Trey Pictum led Eldorado with six kills and six assists.
Centennial 3, Silverado 2 — At Silverado, Jeff Mecham had 37 assists and three aces and Matt Kurtz had 15 kills as the Bulldogs outlasted the Skyhawks, 25-16, 25-14, 23-25, 24-26, 15-5.
Drew Staker made 10 kills and Blake Davidson eight for Centennial.
Casey Hadland compiled 29 assists, 10 digs and four kills for Silverado. Christian Espina added 14 kills and 10 digs, and Brayden Olenslager had 11 kills and 10 digs.
