KELSEYVILLE >> The Kelseyville Knights, defending North Central League I champions, opened a new volleyball season with a 25-23, 25-21, 25-8 non-league win over the El Molino Lions on Thursday evening in Kelseyville.
“I think my kids were a little anxious at first,” Kelseyville coach Donelle McCallister said.
Veterans Riley Goff, Carli Mendonca, Shalyn Keithly and varsity newcomer Allison Bryant, a freshman, finished with six kills apiece. Payton Conrad led the Knights with four aces.
Kelseyville also won the junior varsity match 25-20, 25-17.
In other volleyball action Thursday:
Colusa def. Middletown
At Colusa, in a back-and-forth battle, Colusa beat Middletown 25-12, 23-25, 25-14, 26-28, 15-13 in non-league action, dropping Middletown to 1-1 on the season.
“I forgot we lost, that’s how well we played,” Middletown coach Jennifer Breiner said of her young Mustangs squad. “The mistakes we made were the type of mistakes you would expect from an inexperienced team.”
Brittney Holt, the Middletown setter, had a team-leading 13 assists to go along with five kills and three aces. Olivia Glosser added seven kills and four aces and Amy Herman had five kills.
Colusa won the JV match 25-9, 25-12.
Girls’ soccer
Rancho 4, Middletown 2
At Rohnert Park, Rancho Cotate held off Middletown in a physical non-league girls’ soccer contest that wasn’t decided until the final two minutes.
Middletown (0-1-1) had an opportunity to knot the score at 3-all late in the second half but Madison Ketchum, who had already scored earlier in the half, couldn’t get the ball past the Cougars’ keeper.
“The goalie made a great play,” Middletown coach Lamont Kucer said.
It remained 3-2 until the two-minute mark when Rancho Cotate scored to go up by two goals.
The Cougars led 2-0 at the half and had a 3-1 lead when Caitlin Lemoine intercepted a pass-back to the Rancho Cotate keeper and knocked the ball into the net to make it 3-2 with 13 minutes remaining.
Kucer, Middletown’s first-year coach, said the Mustangs turned in a strong effort against what he called a “really good” Rancho Cotate squad.
“I’m not displeased with our effort at all,” Lamont said. “The defense was really good.”
Anchoring Middletown’s back line were Courtney Gillies, Kassi Agapoff, Gracie Armstrong and freshman Abbey Sabater, according to Kucer.
Middletown’s difficult preseason schedule continues Wednesday when the team travels to Santa Rosa to take on Sonoma Academy, the defending North Coast Section Division III champion.
K’ville 8, And. Valley 0
At Kelseyville, in a game played Wednesday, the Kelseyville Knights improved to 2-0 on the season with their second straight shutout victory, this time against the Anderson Valley Panthers.
“Anderson Valley had some good players, but they have no depth,” Kelseyville coach Eric Hoefler said of the Panthers, who suited up only 12 players.
Anderson Valley dropped to 10 players, one less than a full compliment of 11, in the second half and Kelseyville (2-0) removed one of its players from the field to make things more fair.
Kelseyville led 5-0 after the first half.
Kat Brown and Dani Valerio each finished the game with two goals. Christina Covarrubias added another goal plus four assists. Also scoring goals were Paloma Ortiz, Cassidy Griffin and Sayra Cacho.
“We’re getting better game by game,” Hoefler said. “Our pace is increasing.”
Ukiah scrimmaged at Ukiah on Thursday. The Knights’ next offical game will come in the Lady Cat Classic, also in Ukiah, on Sept. 10.
