SMALL SCHOOLS: Smallwood serves Panthers well in semifinal win

Ciera Smallwood served 13 aces and had eight assists as defending Class 1A state champion Pahranagat Valley (23-7) moved into the title match with a 25-13, 25-13, 25-8 sweep of McDermitt (21-7) at Galena.

“We really started sluggish offensively,” Pahranagat Valley coach Ginger Whipple said. “Our offense was just a little bit weak, but we hung in there with our defense and fought through it.”

Dakota Day had 11 kills and two aces, and Halie Lewis and Kyla Mortensen each added seven kills. Lewis also had 11 digs.

Kimberly Lewis dished out 11 assists and served five aces for the Panthers.

“Every time Ciera and Kimmie got up (to serve), they racked up points,” Whipple said. “Ciera was really working them. She was finding the holes.”

The Panthers have won 11 of the past 13 Class 1A state championships and will face Coleville for the title Saturday at 10 a.m.

“I totally think it was 100 percent experience that carried us through today,” Whipple said. “There’s no way these kids would be as calm as they were on the floor if they hadn’t have been through this before.”

Coleville 3, Tonopah 2 — Tonopah appeared on its way to a rematch of the 1A Southern League title match until Coleville (24-2) rallied for a 20-25, 13-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-10 win over the Muckers.

Tonopah led 17-11 in the third set, but Coleville rallied to take the set and never lost the momentum.

Deanna Van Poucke paced Tonopah with 17 kills, six blocks and two aces. Britney Klapper dished out 37 assists and had seven digs, and Sam Kimber contributed 16 kills and four blocks for the Muckers, who got 10 kills from Amanda O’Donnell.

Dayton ended Boulder City’s hopes of a state title, downing the Eagles, 25-16, 25-23, 25-18 in a Class 3A state semifinal at Galena.

Avalon Frantz paced Boulder City (24-12) with 29 assists and two aces. Whitney Barlow added eight kills, and Emily Boyster and Dallas Frantz each had seven kills for the Eagles. Boyster also had seven blocks, and teammate Ali Rants supplied 27 digs for Boulder City.

Dayton (20-5) will face Truckee (31-4) for the state title Saturday at 2 p.m.

The 2A final will be an all-north affair, as Whitttell will take on Yerington at Bishop Manogue.

Whittell (14-18) beat The Meadows 24-26, 25-22, 25-11, 21-25, 15-8.

Vanessa Hall paced the Mustangs (31-4) with 25 assists and 24 digs. Alex Hall added 21 digs and 12 kills, and Jackie Lipkowitz had 23 digs and seven kills for The Meadows, which got 29 digs from Sinead Lopez.

Yerington (35-1), which will be making its fifth consecutive appearance in a state championship game and its first in 2A, beat Lake Mead 25-14, 25-14, 25-17.

Lake Mead coach Diana Lewis said she knew what her team was up against, and that the Eagles stood up against it as well as they could have.

“We knew what to cover, but you can only do what you can do,” Lewis said. “When you lose to a team, you hope it’s to a team like that.”

Ashley Newton had 12 kills and three blocks for Lake Mead (24-14), and Colleen Zumaran added four kills and four blocks.