SANTA ROSA >> Bumping heads with large school Cardinal Newman on Wednesday evening, the Kelseyville High School varsity volleyball team took a step up in talent and fell 25-23, 25-13, 25-15 to the Cardinals in non-league action at Santa Rosa.
“They have big, good hitters,” Kelseyville coach Donelle McCallister said. “I don’t think they thought we were good enough to stick with them in that first game, which we almost won. We tried.”
Both Kelseyville (1-1) and Cardinal Newman are Division IV teams who could meet again in the postseason.
“We’re still trying out lineups,” McCallister said. “We’ll figure it out.”
Carli Mendonca’s five kills and three blocks led the Knights. Other team leaders were Tymeka Green with 14 digs and Riley Goff with 21 assists.
The varsity team returns to action Saturday in the Healdsburg Tournament.
Kelseyville did win the junior varsity match 25-21, 19-25, 15-6 behind five kills from Kalee Ellis, four more from Grace Duty, and two aces and two kills from Alexa Vargas. The Knights’ setter tandem of Malia Brown and Paige Bour also combined for 16 assists.
Kelseyville coach Deanna Goff said the Knights were on their serving game and committed just one error during the match.
In other action volleyball Wednesday:
M’town def. Roseland Prep
At Santa Rosa, Middletown outlasted Roseland Prep in five sets (scores not available) in non-league action. The Mustangs are now 2-2 on the season.
“We had spurts of really good play, but we’re still making too many stupid mistakes,” Middletown coach Jennifer Breiner said. “Our hitting was good but our passing was too slow.”
Brittney Holt led the Mustangs with five kills, five aces, 15 assists and seven digs. Other team leaders were Amy Herman with eight kills, three aces and seven digs, and Olivia Glosser with four kills, four aces and seven digs.
“I have never seen a team run so fast and get everything back up into the air,” Breiner said of her Roseland Prep opponent. “Fortunately we hit the ball very well.”
Middletown won the JV match 25-16, 25-22.
The Mustangs are home tonight to play Upper Lake in non-league action. The JV match begins at 5 p.m.
Girls’ soccer
St. Vincent 6, Upper Lake 0
At Upper Lake, the Upper Lake Cougars held the high-powered St. Vincent Mustangs scoreless through the first half in a North Central League II game that had to be stopped for 10 minutes when a St. Vincent player collapsed on the field late in the first half.
It was heat-related incident, according to Upper Lake coach Mandy Robbins, who is also a nurse (LVN).
“You heard her thump down, she just tripped over her leg and went right down,” Robbins said.
Robbins and her St. Vincent counterpart rushed onto the field as soon as the player collapsed.
“She was out of it,” Robbins said. “She just blacked out.”
The player was moved to the shade, given fluid and ice packs to cool her down, according to Robbins.
A doctor who was attending a nearby cross country meet came over to check out the player, who was doing better by game’s end, according to Robbins.
On the field of play, Upper Lake keeper Jazlyn Bonilla denied St. Vincent at every turn in the first half, blocking some 13 shots on goal.
“My girls played an excellent first half,” Robbins said. “Usually we lose 12-0 or 10-0 to these guys, but we played great. Their coach was so unhappy at halftime.”
St. Vincent scored just a minute into the second half and had a 6-0 lead by the 65-minute mark.
“We shut them out the last 15 minutes,” Robbins said.
The Cougars are 1-3 overall and hit the road Friday to play defending league and section champion Sonoma Academy.
