Lake Mead, Meadows hoping to end streaks in state volleyball

Lake Mead is hoping to erase painful memories of losses on the state’s biggest stage in Class 1A.

The Mustangs would like to get back on top of the Class 2A mountain, but to do it, they first must beat a five-time defending state champion.

The state tournament begins Friday and ends Saturday at Damonte Ranch High School.

“Our goal from the start of the season was to get better and be consistent in all parts of the game,” Meadows coach Stephanie Heller said. “This is probably the most improved team I’ve had in the five years I’ve been here.”

The Meadows last won the state title in 2002, its second straight crown. But since then, the trophy has found a permanent home in Whittell.

The Mustangs, who beat No. 2-seed White Pine in Ely on Saturday to earn the state berth, face Whittell in a semifinal at 5:20 p.m. Friday. Southern League champion Lincoln County meets North Tahoe (Calif.) in the other semifinal at 3:40 p.m. The winners return at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“They’re very good, and they have a great coach,” Heller said of Whittell. “We have to continue to play good defense. Our serve receive has to stay strong, and we have to put the ball away.”

Good defense has been a constant for the Mustangs, in large part because of the play of libero Kristyna Fong, who Heller calls “one of the top five liberos in the city.”

Since the state went to four classes in 1996, The Meadows, Whittell and Lincoln County have been the only state champions in Class 2A.

Lake Mead brings momentum to the state tournament. The Eagles won their first Southern Region title Saturday, sweeping rival and defending state champion Pahranagat Valley in the final match.

The Eagles will face McDermitt, the No. 2 seed from the North, in a semifinal at 12:20 p.m. Friday.

“We just have to play our game and what will be, will be,” said Lake Mead coach Diana Lewis, whose team never has won a state title. The Eagles lost to Owyhee in the state semifinals the last two years.

Lake Mead has only one senior — setter Jessica Rinaldi — on its roster but has received big contributions from sophomore Ashley Newton and junior Amanda Wellman, who are two of the team’s leaders in kills and digs.

“They’re amazing all-around players,” Lewis said. “You can put them anywhere on the court, and you know they’re going to get the ball. I never have to worry about those two.”

Pahranagat Valley meets Owyhee, last year’s state runner-up, in the other semifinal at 2 p.m. Friday. The winners return at noon Saturday.

In Class 3A, Moapa Valley is the lone representative from the South and will face Truckee (Calif.), the North’s No. 2 seed, at 9 a.m. Friday. Yerington and Dayton meet in the other semifinal at 10:40 a.m. The winners return at 10 a.m. Saturday.