MENDOCINO >> When sophomore libero Lauren Rudnick went down with an ankle injury in the second set, Kelseyville High School varsity volleyball coach Donelle McCallister turned to Karissa Huggins to fill the gap on Monday night against Mendocino in a non-league match at Mendocino.
Going with an extra hitter instead of a libero worked out for the Knights in their 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-12 victory.
Stepping in as a left-side hitter Huggins filled in nicely for the injured Rudnick, who is likely to miss a few days.
“She stepped up and hit the ball real well,” McCallister said of Huggins.
Carli Mendonca led the Knights with 11 kills and Riley Goff, the team”s setter, added nine kills and four aces to go along with 21 assists. Mary McCallister had a team-high 24 digs.
Mendocino won the junior varsity match 25-22, 25-16.
In other volleyball action:
Cards 2-2 at tourney
At Arcata, the Clear Lake varsity squad won two of its four matches on Saturday at the Arcata Tournament. The Cardinals went 2-1 and finished second in their pool before losing to Yreka in the opening round of the gold bracket playoffs. Yreka beat Clear Lake 25-22, 19-25, 15-6.
Earlier in pool action, the Cardinals beat Ferndale 25-10, 25-16 and Eureka 25-8, 22-25, 15-5 but lost to Central Valley, which rallied for a 19-25, 26-24, 15-12 win.
Among the Cardinal standouts were Aliza Atkins with tournament totals of 36 kills, five blocks, 17 points, five aces and 11 digs; Emily Psalmonds with 65 assists, 11 digs, 24 points and three aces. Eloisa Morfin with 21 digs, 26 points and six aces; Rachel Wingler with nine kills, 29 points and five aces, and the Cardinals” newest weapon, freshman middle hitter Kiana Richardson with 11 kills, three blocks, 18 points and nine digs.
“She”s staying up with us,” Clear Lake Marci Psalmonds said of Richardson. “She”s the one piece we”ve been missing in the middle.”
Psalmonds also had high praise for the play of her libero, Morfin.
“She did a great job,” Psalmonds said.
