DIVISION I-A: Motivated Chaparral knocks off Eagles, heads to I-A final

The last time Chaparral qualified for the state volleyball tournament was in 1995.

As motivation, the trophy from that season sits in the Chaparral locker room.

Thursday, the Cowboys upset Sunrise League champion Boulder City to earn a return to state, rallying for a 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 20-25, 15-9 home victory in the Division I-A Southern Region semifinals.

Chaparral (23-12) will face Faith Lutheran in the final at 4 p.m. today at Green Valley. Both teams qualify for next week’s state tournament in Reno.

Already down a set and trailing 18-8 in the second set, Chaparral found the will to construct a comeback.

“It was all about heart, perseverance and fight,” Chaparral coach Jay Renneker said. “We just wanted it more than they did, and we kept fighting. The more the match wore on, the more confidence we gained.”

Led by the play of Jaeda Allen, the Cowboys won 17 of the next 21 points to tie the match at 1-1. In the third set, Chaparral ran out to a 13-8 advantage and never looked back.

Boulder City’s Whitney Barlow and Mallory Bird found holes in the Chaparral defense, and the Eagles (28-8) gained control of the fourth set.

But Allen, who finished with 36 kills, seven aces and three blocks, helped the Cowboys close out the match on a 7-0 run.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Allen, whose team looked at the last state championship banner several times during warmups. “This was a total team effort, we played together and stayed the course. Everyone played great, and that’s why we are advancing.”

Katie Oliveria had 49 assists for Chaparral, Rita Mesa-Mola added nine kills and four blocks and Cheyenne Huntsman had 17 digs.

Kendal Miller had 31 digs for Boulder City. Barlow added 19 kills and Avalon Frantz had 45 assists and six aces.

Faith Lutheran 3, Moapa Valley 0 — Sam Leonard and Taylor Richards combined for 21 kills as the Crusaders rolled into Friday’s final with a 25-15, 25-19, 25-14 victory.

Leonard tallied four aces and 11 kills for Faith Lutheran (29-9). Gianni Perryman had 30 assists, and Taylor Hammer had eight kills and three blocks.

The Pirates (22-10) were led by Makenzie Bush, who registered eight kills, and Kimberly Lewis, who contributed three aces. Summer Owens added 18 digs for Moapa Valley.