KELSEYVILLE >> With a chance to clinch the undisputed North Central League I championship at home, the Kelseyville High School varsity volleyball team didn’t disappoint on Tuesday night against the Middletown Mustangs.
In a solid and sometimes dominating display of volleyball, the Knights improved to 13-0 in the league standings with a 25-16, 25-15, 25-12 victory. They can close out a perfect season Thursday with a win against archrival Clear Lake in Lakeport, then it’s off to the North Coast Section playoffs.
“They played loose, they played like they were enjoying themselves,” Kelseyville coach Donelle McCallister said.
Because it was Kelseyville’s final home match of the regular season, the team’s lone senior was honored before the start of play. Heidy Cano, who had no volleyball experience before transferring to Kelseyville prior to the start of her sophomore year, received bouquets of flowers from teammates, then went out and tied teammate Carli Mendonca for the team high in kills with seven.
“I love her,” McCallister said of Cano. “We were lucky to get her.”
Setter Riley Goff, a junior, engineered the Knights’ three-set sweep with 24 assists and libero Payton Conrad, a freshman, led the team with six aces. All of Kelseyville’s starters except Cano return next season when the Knights will be gunning for a third league title in four seasons.
Gracious in defeat, McCallister credited Middletown with playing hard and said she understands what coach Jennifer Breiner’s team has been up against all season. When the Valley Fire struck the south county area on Sept. 12, it forced a number of match postponements until the Mustangs could return to school two weeks later. Middletown is paying the price now by playing three league matches a week instead of the usual two. An extra match a week also costs the Mustangs a valuable practice day.
“I just think Middletown is tired,” McCallister said. “They’re a solid team.”
Kelseyville also won the junior varsity match, 25-18, 25-18. Grace Duty led the Knights with six kills, Megan Mills had a team-best five aces while Serina Vargas added four, and Emma Larsen had four kills and three aces. Kaleigh Nunn also had eight assists.
