Gators outlast Huskies to reach final

In her 19 years as Green Valley's girls volleyball coach, Erin Hill had never been involved in a game that went to 40 points.

Siga Appelgate made sure the first will be a happy memory.

Green Valley rode the momentum of a dramatic finish in the second game to a 25-21, 40-38, 25-17 sweep of Reno in a Class 4A state semifinal Friday night at Silverado.

"It was intense," said Appelgate, who had eight kills amid the Gators' final 13 points in the second game. "We had so much fire and just pushed every single point."

Green Valley (30-6) will play for its first state title since 2001 against rival Silverado (31-7) at 4 p.m. today at Silverado.

Appelgate, a senior outside hitter, had 27 kills and five digs.

Green Valley faced 12 game-point opportunities in the second game before a kill by Appelgate finally ended it.

"That second game was awesome, absolutely outstanding," Hill said. "It was a battle back and forth from about 24-all. It was like two games in one."

Emma Johnson had nine kills, six digs and two aces for the Gators. Jena Chavez dished out 33 assists, and Taylor Seidler supplied 13 digs.

Green Valley showed no signs of fatigue in the third game, sprinting to a 15-6 lead.

Green Valley will carry a four-match winning streak into the state final.

"It'll take passing, serving, defense -- just what it's been taking," Hill said.

• Silverado 3, Bishop Gorman 0 -- Taylor Richard had 19 kills to lead the Skyhawks to a 25-13, 25-16, 25-11 sweep of the Gaels (26-4).

Marilyn Agae had 26 assists, Kaitlyn Keathley 11 digs and Kayla Agae seven kills for the Skyhawks.

"I certainly didn't feel like it was easy," Silverado coach Jennifer Boeddeker said. "Gorman is a great team, and they were obviously here for a reason.

"We played very well, and I'm pleased with what they did today."

Kylie Shaw had seven kills and Liz Manthei five for Gorman. Kylee Chun had 17 assists.

Silverado has swept Palo Verde and Gorman since losing 3-2 to Green Valley in the Sunrise Region final Nov. 6.

CLASS 3A

Makenna Lommori had 16 assists, eight kills and four blocks to lead Yerington (29-5) to a 25-16, 25-7, 25-15 sweep of Boulder City in a state semifinal at Silverado.

The three-time defending-state champion Lions will meet Truckee (22-1) for the state title at 2 p.m. today. It's the third straight season the teams have met for the championship.

"We didn't come to play tonight," Boulder City coach Cherise Roe said. "The girls just couldn't get the momentum on their side."

Paxton Fleming dished out 12 assists for Boulder City (22-9). Kelsey Ripplinger had 16 digs, and Emily Boyster contributed three kills and three blocks.

• Truckee 3, Virgin Valley 0 -- Annie Reiswig and Merry Brown had 13 kills each to lift Truckee to a 25-23, 25-10, 25-15 sweep of Virgin Valley (14-15) in a semifinal at Silverado.

The Wolverines jumped to an 11-3 lead in the second game and an 11-1 lead in the third.

"Our level of intensity dropped, but we didn't quit," Virgin Valley coach Lori Barnum said.

Virgin Valley's Annie Biasi and Madison Bowler had six kills and two aces apiece. Rachel Morris had five kills and Nikki Hafen added 13 assists for the Bulldogs.

CLASS 2A

Defense didn't win a championship for The Meadows. But it did bring the Mustangs one step closer to the state title.

Twice rallying from a one-game deficit, The Meadows used a steady defense to down Pershing County 13-25, 25-12, 17-25, 25-23, 15-10 in a semifinal at Silverado.

"We play with a lot poise," The Meadows coach Stephanie Heller said. "We've been down in matches this year, and we've been able to come back. We focus on our defense every day in practice."

The Meadows will meet Whittell in the state final today at noon.

Senior libero Kristyna Fong registered 33 digs for The Meadows.

Laura Walsh had 16 kills and 13 digs for The Meadows. Austin McMillan added 15 digs and Sinead Lopez had 12 for the Mustangs. Vanessa Hall dished out 31 assists.

CLASS 1A

Lake Mead's girls volleyball team turned the serve into an art form in a state semifinal at Silverado.

The defending state champions served an eye-popping 27 aces en route to a 25-15, 25-19, 25-12 win over McDermitt.

Lake Mead will meet Pahranagat Valley in a rematch of last year's title match today at 10 a.m.

"At the beginning of the year, our serves were not so hot," said senior Amanda Wellman, who had 11 aces. "In practices, we work on just straight serving for 20 to 30 minutes. It's something that takes a lot of practice."

Wellman rattled off five consecutive aces as Lake Mead grabbed a 6-0 lead in the final game.

Emma Khachikian, who serves after Wellman in the Eagles' rotation, added six aces. Ashley Newton had 14 kills and Jocelyn Cox added 22 assists.