Making its fifth consecutive 3A state tournament appearance, Boulder City High School’s girls volleyball team fell to eventual state champion Truckee 3-1 on Friday, Nov. 12, at Hug High School.
Coming into the game as the three-time defending 3A state champions, the Lady Eagles fell 28-30, 11-25, 25-13, 26-28 in a thrilling state semifinals matchup.
Truckee would go on to defeat Northern challenger Fernley 3-1, in a much more lopsided outcome.
“Obviously it’s tough to lose because we wanted it so badly,” girls head coach Chad Robinson said. “Is it nice to know we played them the toughest at state? It is, but that just shows how close we were. I feel like if we could have gotten through them, we could have gone all the way. It was a great game by both teams and if a couple of plays just went our way, the outcome could have been different. I’m proud of our effort.”
Battling back and forth with the Wolverines in a heated battle, junior Julianna Luebke led the way with 10 kills, sophomore Addison Doane added nine kills and freshman Sydnee Freeman added eight kills.
Defensively, senior Zoey Robinson made 19 digs, sophomore Jordyn Woodard made eight digs and freshman Kira Delong made six digs.
Luebke added six serving aces and four blocks, while Doane added eight digs and four aces.
Delong dished out 16 assists, and senior Alyssa Bryant added 12 assists.
While the dynasty and the chance at a fourth consecutive state title might have ended, it’s safe to say the next dynasty could be on the horizon.
Losing three key contributors — Zoey Robinson, Bryant and Ashlyn Hess — will be a blow, but the remaining core of their five contributors will now return with state tournament experience after not playing last season due to COVID-19.
“We knew we were going to have to scrap our way through this season and need a little luck to win another state title,” Chad Robinson said. “I have a lot of faith in our returning girls that we’re going to be back here for the next few seasons.”
Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.