Coronado takes control, nabs second straight crown

RENO — The first set of Saturday’s Division I girls volleyball state championship match between Coronado and Shadow Ridge had five sets written all over it.

But none of the Cougars wanted to read that book.

After a tough first set, the Cougars cruised past the Mustangs to win their second consecutive title, 25-22, 25-15, 25-16, at Galena High School.

“That first game definitely helped us out,” Coronado coach Matt Johnson said. “Had it gone the other way, we’re probably looking at five, but I think that really helped us get a little bit of confidence.”

The set was tied five straight times before the Cougars scored three consecutive points, punctuated by a kill and a block by Berkeley Oblad.

“I think we started off a little nervous just with the championship game, and then we found our groove and we played how we’ve been playing all year,” Oblad said. “I think it was who was willing to get on the floor and not let it touch the ground.”

The teams traded ferocious hitting at the net, and Johnson said Coronado’s play in the back made the difference.

“We told our blockers to take away an area and trust their defense that they were gonna dig behind them,” he said. “A great cohesive defensive effort.”

The Cougars started the second set with a 10-3 lead, then with a 10-9 lead in the third set, scored 10 consecutive points to end any suspense. After saying on Friday that his team didn’t play its best in a semifinal victory over Carson, Johnson said Saturday the Cougars got close to their peak potential.

“We had some mental errors where I think we were waiting for Shadow Ridge to go away, but they’re too good of a team to do that,” he said.

The Cougars got 10 kills and two blocks from Emily Bender, Cali Thompson had 42 assists, and Navi Lee added seven kills and 15 digs.

Ashley Smith had 15 kills and 16 digs for Shadow Ridge, Chloe Gruwell added nine kills and two aces, and Eadara Files contributed 25 assists and an ace.

DIVISION I-A

In sweeping two consecutive state tournament matches in straight sets, Faith Lutheran made it look easy.

Sometimes looks can be deceiving.

The Crusaders defeated Sierra Vista 25-14, 25-8, 25-12 on Saturday to repeat as Division I-A state champions at Galena High.

“It’s always hard to win a championship, but it’s even harder to win a second because you kind of have everyone’s attention so you have a little bit more of a target on your back,” Faith Lutheran coach Amy Fisher said.

Cayla Nikodemus had 16 kills for the Crusaders, Bobbi Tharaldson added 15 kills, and Morgan Hill finished with 10 kills as part of a versatile attack.

“It feels even sweeter (than last year),” Hill said. “You just never get used to the feeling; it’s sweet. We knew we’d have a bullet on our backs, knew we had to work harder and teams would be out to get us.”

Bailey Bergquist led Sierra Vista with eight kills and nine digs. Sydney Land added eight kills, and Kira Felise had 14 assists and 16 digs.

DIVISION III

Yerington won its second consecutive state championship and seventh since 2006, beating White Pine 25-15, 26-24, 25-12 Saturday at Galena High.

Kassidy Lommori had 25 kills and five digs for Yerington. Chloe Dane had 12 kills, 10 digs and four aces, and Jordan Bobrick had 15 digs and five kills for the Lions.

DIVISION IV

Pahranagat Valley defeated Smith Valley 13-25, 25-11, 25-22, 25-21 to win its second straight state title Saturday at Galena High.

The Panthers scored 13 consecutive points to finish the second set, then rallied from 10-1 and 21-10 deficits in the third set.

“Truth is, when we’ve played good teams like this, we’ve been down before and we know how to come back,” Pahranagat Valley coach Ginger Whipple said. “One thing about this team is they’ve got a lot of grit.”