Lady Eagles reach goal with state tourney appearance

The Boulder City High School girls volleyball program closed out its season Friday at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno, losing to Northern Nevada challenger Truckee 3-0 in the 3A state semifinals.

“It’s unfortunate that our season had to end with a loss, but I couldn’t be more proud of these girls,” Boulder City coach Cherise Hinman said. “At the beginning of the year, we set our goals as a team and reaching the state tournament was obviously one of them. They fought through adversity all season.”

Truckee ousted the Lady Eagles in straight sets 17-25, 23-25 and 22-25 behind the offensive firepower of Maia Dvoracek, who tallied 22 kills and five serving aces. The Wolverines went on to win the title, defeating Moapa Valley 3-2 in the final.

“We proved a lot of people wrong this season,” senior Kenadee Bailey said. “It was definitely a roller-coaster ride for us. Making it to the state tournament with this group of girls is a high school memory I’ll always cherish, no matter the outcome. I’m really going to miss playing for Coach Hinman and working hard out on the court every day with all of my teammates.”

Not going down without a fight during her last contest with the Lady Eagles, emotional senior captain Alea Lehr ended her prep career in style, tallying a game-high 29 assists along with two kills and two aces. She finished her career with a state-leading 915 assists, regardless of classification, while tallying 1,468 during her three years on the team.

“The whole varsity experience has been unforgettable,” Lehr said. “High school volleyball has been an emotional and memorable time for me. I have practiced, traveled and played with many different people, and I am grateful that I had this opportunity to grow and succeed as an athlete and an individual with this program.”

Joining her with a strong final performance, Bailey added eight kills and an ace.

“We’re really going to miss both Alea and Kenadee,” Hinman said. “Alea’s been our rock all season; without her, none of the success we’ve been able to achieve this season would be possible. Kenadee has also played a nice role for us and has really surprised me with the way she’s developed into a solid offensive threat. Both of their talents will be missed moving forward.”

One star that will be returning for the Lady Eagles next season is junior co-captain Maggie Roe, who finished the season on a high note: supplying the Lady Eagles’ offense with 16 kills and three aces. She was especially key with her defense with two blocks and six digs. Roe finished fourth in state this season in kills with 441, while finishing first in hitting percentage with a highly accurate .544 kill success rate. Faith Lutheran’s Elizabeth Tuls was the next highest with a .452 success rate.

“This season was a roller-coaster ride on every level,” Roe said. “I definitely feel I’ve improved as a player and as a teammate because of it though.”

Concluding their season with a 17-21 overall record, Hinman stated she was proud of how her players handled themselves throughout the course of the season. With a few key players graduating, Hinman says she has no doubt that the next generation of Lady Eagles will keep the program stuck in its winning ways.

“It’s sad to lose a few key contributors off of this season’s roster, but I’m very excited for the future,” she said. We have a few freshman and eighth-graders that should make a difference for us next season.”

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.

Three Lady Eagles will play in Friday’s all-star game

Set to play their final high school game Friday, seniors Alea Lehr, Kenadee Bailey and Lexi Bringle will represent the Sunrise League against the Sunset in the 3A Southern Nevada Volleyball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game, which will be played at Boulder City High School.

Playing for Moapa Valley head coach Mandie Matheson, it will be the trio’s last chance to perform in front of their home fans.

“When I found out that I was going to get to play in the all-star game, I was really surprised and excited,” Bailey said. “It will be really fun to be able to share our home court one last time with my teammates Lexi and Alea and play with all of the other girls from our league that have showed outstanding performances this year.”

Expected to be a key contributor, Lehr will look to capitalize on a outstanding senior campaign where she led the state with 944 assists, while providing the Lady Eagles with 172 digs and 88 serving aces.

Also looking to shine one last time as key role players, Bailey (216 digs, 157 kills, 37 blocks and 35 aces) and Bringle (230 digs, 44 aces and 31 kills) should provide depth for the Sunrise, which will feature the top seniors from each of the Lady Eagles’ conference rivals.

“It’s great that the Southern Nevada Volleyball Coaches Association provides this to honor the seniors of each division who made the all-conference teams,” said Boulder City head coach Cherise Hinman. “It will be fun to watch them in action on same team with the players they battled with all season from our rivals.”

Friday’s all-star game is scheduled for 3 p.m.