Eagles refuse to let go

Long after Amanda Wellman's championship-winning kill Saturday, Lake Mead coach Diana Lewis stood on the court clutching the Southern Region 1A volleyball championship trophy.

It was hard to blame her for not letting go.

"This is the first one of these we've gotten," Lewis said after her Eagles downed Pahranagat Valley 25-14, 25-22, 25-14 in the title match at Desert Oasis.

The Eagles (31-4-3), who beat Pahranagat Valley twice in an early season tournament but lost to the Panthers in league play, played wonderful defense, often digging balls they seemed to have no business keeping alive.

"We couldn't sustain an offense," Pahranagat Valley coach Ginger Whipple said.

Panthers managed only 26 kills and had 20 attack errors.

Ashley Newton, a 5-foot-10-inch outside hitter, sparked the Eagles' defense with 24 digs. Freshman libero Jordan Clarke added 19 digs.

"We stepped up our communication," Newton said. "We kept talking, and that really helped us. We just had to keep scrapping the whole time."

Pahranagat Valley had six errors during a 12-3 Lake Mead run that allowed the Eagles to coast in Game 1.

Midway through the second game, the Panthers lost senior libero Molly Hansen to a right knee injury and weren't able to match up as well.

Consecutive aces by Jessica Rinaldi allowed the Eagles to pull out the second game.

Wellman had four kills, including the clincher, in the final game.

Wellman had 10 kills and 10 digs and Newton 20 digs as Lake Mead beat Tonopah in the semifinals, 25-13, 25-20, 25-23.

Lake Mead and Pahranagat Valley will head to Reno for the state tournament, which begins Friday.

Lake Mead will face McDermitt in one semifinal at 12:20 p.m. Friday. Pahranagat Valley will battle Owyhee in the second semifinal.

CLASS 2A SOUTHERN LEAGUE

The Meadows earned a berth in the Class 2A state tournament by defeating White Pine 26-24, 19-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-9 in a semifinal Saturday in Ely.

Top-seeded Lincoln County won the tournament, defeating the Mustangs in the final, 25-20, 25-22, 25-17.

The Meadows will face Whittell in a state semifinal at 5:20 p.m. Friday in Reno.