Wildcats rally to wrap up Northeast League title

Las Vegas High’s boys volleyball team found itself in an unfamiliar position Tuesday: trailing after a marathon first set in a Northeast League match.

Garrett Jones helped the Wildcats restart the match, and pull away.

Jones had 25 kills, 14 digs, five blocks and two aces to help Las Vegas rally past host Valley, 30-32, 25-23, 25-20, 25-12 as the Wildcats (16-0, 13-0 Northeast) wrapped up their eighth-straight league title.

“We just had to play our own game, get better passes,” Jones said. “They’re a good, solid team, and we had some tough times. But we got around them and bounced back. It was a nice, solid win before the playoffs.”

The Vikings (12-5, 10-3) started fast, using a 5-0 run early in the first set to jump to a 10-5 lead before holding on to win a set that featured four set-points.

Senior setter Peter Nunes fueled Valley’s attack, dishing out 32 assists while hammering the Wildcats’ defense with an over-the-net dump for 11 kills.

But Las Vegas, which hadn’t lost a set in league play all season, quickly came back.

The Wildcats used a balanced offense to tie the second set at 10-10, then scored seven of the set’s final nine points to hold on and even the match.

“We don’t just have one hitter, or one guy,” Jones said. “There’s always somebody else to go to on the court. That’s really nice. The team has come together, and we’ve all put in 110 percent effort to be where we are. It’s taken all of us.”

Evany Diaz had 52 assists and nine digs for Las Vegas. Jace Turner supplied 15 kills and six blocks for the Wildcats, and teammate Levi Mackelprang added 10 kills and 15 digs.

“They’re seniors, they have goals, they’re working together and they want to achieve their goals,” Las Vegas coach Sue Thurman said. “They all work hard to step up and strive for perfection.”

Matt Ballaro had 13 kills for Valley, which got seven kills and three blocks from Ignacio Diaz and eight kills and 10 digs from Jack Heavey.