Volleyball coach: Boys did ‘great’

Getting off to a hot start, Boulder City High School boys volleyball team won a pair of games Saturday, April 17, defeating Sunrise Mountain and Doral Red Rock Academy.

“The boys went out there and did a great job,” head coach Rachelle Huxford said. “They played with a lot of confidence, which is great given how young and inexperienced we are as a team. Everyone stepped up and did their jobs.”

Starting the season off in dominant fashion, the Eagles routed Sunrise Mountain 25-9, 25-17, 25-7 and then Doral Red Rock Academy 25-10, 25-16, 25-16 in their doubleheader.

Putting on a show defensively and with his serving against Sunrise Mountain, junior Kannon Rose amassed 15 digs while recording five serving aces. Junior Kenny Rose fueled the winning effort with 25 assists and three aces.

‘Kenny and Kannon have really stepped up,” Huxford said. “They’ve been in the shadows of some really good players the last few seasons and they’ve been working really hard on their games to get to this point. They have both improved tremendously and they’ve both really stepped up and become leaders for us.”

Starring in their varsity debuts, sophomores Tyler Lemmel and Gavin Kesler were the top point earners for the Eagles, with 11 and seven kills, respectively. A terror on the defensive end as well, Lemmel blocked three shots against Sunrise Mountain.

“The great thing about this weekend was it took a team effort,” Huxford said. “Both Kenny and Kannon stepped up and had great games, but we got contributions from everyone. Tyler and Gavin both played great for their first time out on the court and even Toby (Schaper) played well, even if the stats didn’t exactly reflect it. We looked good as a team out there.”

Equally as dominant against Doral Red Rock Academy, Kannon Rose tallied 11 kills, 10 aces and nine digs, while Kenny Rose dished out 29 assists.

Supplying instant offense, Kesler added seven kills and Lemmel added five kills.

With confirmation by the Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association of a 3A state tournament to be played May 18-22, coach Huxford didn’t hide her ambition for her boys to be there. Huxford said she knows there’s still plenty of work to be done, as does her team.

With a doubleheader against Chaparral and Moapa Valley coming up Saturday at home, the boys will get one more chance to play on their home court before playing away for the remainder of the season.

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.