Moapa Valley downs Faith Lutheran for title

Home-court advantage never hurts. Especially with a raucous crowd on your side.

Moapa Valley used a strong defense and plenty of fan support Friday as it captured the Class 3A Southern League girls volleyball tournament, beating Faith Lutheran in the title match 26-24, 25-21, 17-25, 25-20 in Overton.

"It was hard to breathe in there," Moapa Valley coach Matt Messer said. "Our crowd was great tonight, and it helped us stay aggressive."

After splitting their regular-season matchups, both sides eagerly anticipated a rematch for the right to represent the Southern League at next week's state tournament.

Brianne Olige led Moapa Valley in kills with 18. Shelby Thompson added 11 kills, Cydney Solomon 41 assists and Jessica Waite 10 digs for the Pirates.

"They are a great defensive team," Faith Lutheran coach Amy Fisher said. "That is the heart and soul of their attack."

Moapa Valley beat Boulder City 25-13, 25-13, 25-19 in its semifinal. Faith Lutheran advanced to the final with a 25-20, 24-26, 25-17, 28-26 win over Virgin Valley.

CLASS 1A

• Lake Mead 3, Trinity 0 -- At Desert Oasis, Ashley Newton had 10 kills, four digs and three blocks to lead the No. 2-seeded Eagles to a 25-9, 25-10, 25-8 win in a Southern Region first-round match.

Ashley Newton led Lake Mead (29-4-3) with 10 kills, four digs and three blocks.

Setter Jessica Rinaldi had 17 assists for the Eagles, who will face third-seeded Tonopah in the semifinals at 10 a.m. today.

Andrea Martinez led Trinity (5-14) with three kills, three digs and two blocks.

• Pahranagat Valley 3, Henderson International 0 -- At Desert Oasis, Chanae Canning had nine kills and three aces to lead the top-seeded Panthers to a 25-8, 25-13, 25-10 victory.

Dakota Day added six kills and three aces and Addie Canning nine assists for Pahranagat Valley (21-3).

Brittany Huff had five assists and two aces for the Wolverines (6-21).