Sierra Vista ends Lady Eagles’ run

It was not the ending the Lady Eagles and their coach were looking for, but nonetheless it was a successful season.

The Boulder City girls volleyball season ended Nov. 6 with a three-game loss to Sierra Vista in the semifinals of the Division I-A Southern Region girls volleyball tournament at Sunrise Mountain.

The Mountain Lions dominated the first game 25-14 and held off a huge rally by Boulder City in the second game, 25-23. Sierra Vista then ended the Lady Eagles’ season with a crushing 25-4 victory in the third game.

Boulder City (24-9) was hoping to advance to the state tournament for the fifth time in six years.

Sierra Vista (21-10) lost last Friday to Faith Lutheran (26-13) in the region final, but both the region champion and runner-up advanced to the state tournament Friday in Reno at Galena High School.

But coach Cherise Hinman was quick to point out to her team that it had been a very successful season.

“There were many highlights to the season,” Hinman said. “We got some big wins over some top D-1 teams such as Arbor View, Rancho and Basic and we won our own home tournament beating some very good teams on the final day.

“The win over rival Moapa Valley on Senior Night that clinched the Sunrise League title for us was a great win.”

Boulder City finished 13-1 in Sunrise League play this season and won its sixth consecutive league championship. They have won all three Division I-A Sunrise League titles since the NIAA realigned schools in 2012 to Division I and I-A. They won the last three Class 3A league titles (2009-11) prior to that.

“We’ve won the league the past six years and we’ve made it to state in four of the last six years and we were runner-up one time,” Hinman said. “What’s great about our program here is that although we are a small school we continue to compete with the bigger programs.

“I attribute that to how young we get the girls involved with volleyball in this community. It truly makes a difference when they get to the high school level. It’s hard when a team is eliminated in the playoffs, but there is a lot of good surrounding the program.

“I want to thank all the young players and coaches who took part in our middle school program, and those who were involved with our tournament. We also have had a lot of support at the school and from students (and) fans. The support, cheers and enthusiasm made a big difference,” she said. “No matter how it ended, this was a great season for Boulder City volleyball. I can’t wait for next year.”

The Lady Eagles were led by Lauren Pocius, who had seven kills; Maggie Roe, who had six kills and two blocks; and Alyssa Ybarra, who had 15 digs.