DIVISION IV: Tonopah takes down Panthers to capture crown

Pahranagat Valley appeared almost invincible this week upon entering the Division IV Southern League volleyball tournament.

Invincible to everyone except Tonopah.

The Muckers did not appear intimidated in the least by the Panthers Saturday in the championship game. They jumped to an early lead and never looked back, beating the three-time defending champions 25-18, 25-22, 25-22 at Sunrise Mountain.

Both teams will advance to the state tournament, which will be played next week in Reno. Tonopah has never won a state title.

Alli Friel had 12 digs, nine kills and seven assists for Tonopah (23-5), which had not won a regional title since 1999.

“I always knew we had it in us,” Friel said. “We just pulled it out this time. Everything went right today, and we worked together well.”

The Panthers (17-7) grabbed an early lead in the first set, only to see the Muckers take advantage of several late mistakes to rally for a victory.

Tonopah led most of the way in the second set, coming out of a timeout to go on a 10-3 scoring spurt that put it away.

Another well-timed break in the third set played a key role, as Tonopah coach Judi Boni called a timeout when the Panthers jumped to a 6-3 lead. Her players responded with an 8-1 run to take control.

“They traditionally respond when I call time out because they know I don’t call many,” Boni said. “We didn’t really make any adjustments. I told them that we just needed to run our offense.”

The Panthers made several attempts to answer, and finally cut their deficit to 22-21. But Bria Galli had a key kill to extend the lead for Tonopah, and Sabrina Salltman finished it off with a service ace moments later.

Boni insisted she was not surprised by the outcome.

“I wouldn’t call it an upset,” she said. “The girls just played with heart because they wanted it really bad.”

Deanna Van Poucke helped Tonopah with 11 digs, 10 kills and two blocks. Teammates Elise Salsbury (16 assists, nine digs), Sydney Maughan (14 digs, two kills, two assists) and Julia Klapper (17 digs, two kills) also contributed.

Scout Holaday led Pahranagat Valley with nine kills and three blocks. Teammate Traci Strong added four kills.