LAKEPORT — Like two heavyweights trading haymakers, Fort Bragg and Clear Lake slugged it out for the full five sets on Tuesday evening in Lakeport where the visiting Timberwolves emerged with a 25-19, 25-18, 15-25, 20-25, 15-12 victory in North Central League I varsity volleyball action at Lakeport.
Clear Lake (11-4) needed a win to move into a second-place tie with Fort Bragg (13-2) but will have to settle for third place when NCL I play ends Thursday. The Cardinals finish up in Cloverdale on Thursday while the Timberwolves make a quick turnaround and travel to Kelseyville on Wednesday for their final league match.
Roseland University Prep (14-0) swept St. Helena at home on Tuesday to clinch the league championship. RUP has only one league match remaining because Lower Lake (0-12) had to cancel its final match with the Knights because of a COVID-19 quarantine, and there isn’t enough time to reschedule it.
“We didn’t play well in the first game, but we played well overall,” Clear Lake head coach Marci Psalmonds said of the Cardinals’ effort. “We kept fighting and Fort Bragg kept fighting. It was a fun match even though we lost.”
Clear Lake suited up only seven players and had two starters out – back row specialist Cady Harmon (COVID-19 protocol) and middle hitter Abby Mertle, who missed her third straight match with an ankle injury. She’s expected to be back on the floor for the Cardinals’ league finale Thursday in Cloverdale.
“We had only seven but they did fine,” Psalmonds said.
Libero Raina Clifton did a little better than fine with 51 digs.
“She’s the heart of our defense,” Psalmonds said. “She’s just awesome.”
While Clear Lake’s defense was solid throughout the match, the offense struggled early on before coming to life in the third set.
“They just started playing better together as a team,” Psalmonds added.
Clifton also had a good night from the service line with 17 points, including four aces. Zoey Pepper led the Cardinals with 16 kills while Camrin Pivniska had nine kills and 17 digs.
“She played well on defense,” Psalmonds said of Pivniska.
Clear Lake’s two setters, Sierra Bruch and Sydney Howe, combined for 43 assists.
Fort Bragg head coach Kim Mertle, a Clear Lake High alum, watched her top player, Lucy Hendricks, power the Timberwolves with 20 kills, 30 digs and three aces.
“We had some up-and-down moments,” Mertle said. “Lucy had an exceptional game. We were glad to pull through with the win.”
Also for Fort Bragg, Jacie Clavelle registered 25 assists and Carmen Velazquez had 20 assists.
The Timberwolves’ only two league losses have been to undefeated RUP, one of them a five-set defeat last week in Fort Bragg.
In the junior varsity match, Clear Lake took the first set but Fort Bragg battled back for a 19-25, 25-23, 15-5 victory.
The positive energy Clear Lake opened the match with ebbed quickly, according to head coach Morgan Psalmonds.
“The first game we played so well I was able to sub a little bit at the end,” Psalmonds said. “We just couldn’t finish after that.”
Fort Bragg opened up big leads in the second and third sets and was able to hold off a determined Clear Lake rally in set two. The Timberwolves opened up a 13-1 lead in set three.
A trio of Cardinals did their best to achieve a better outcome. Quincy Paarsch finished with 12 service points, including three aces, and she also had 21 digs. Rubi Ford also filled up the stats box with 10 points, three aces, seven digs and four kills. Another standout was Emily Gersalia with seven digs.
“She played great on defense,” Psalmonds said of Gersalia.
In other volleyball action Tuesday:
Upper Lake def. Tomales
At Tomales, the Upper Lake Cougars face a first-place showdown with the Sonoma Academy Coyotes on Thursday after hammering the Tomales Braves 25-10, 25-18, 25-7 in NCL II action.
Upper Lake improved to 10-1 and will host undefeated Sonoma Academy (11-0) in the league and regular-season finale for both teams. The Cougars dropped a 25-18, 25-20, 25-20 decision to the Coyotes on Sept. 28 in Santa Rosa and need a victory Thursday to clinch a share of the NCL II championship.
“We’ve got a lot of amazing things planned for our seniors,” Upper Lake head coach Dani Paige Gudmundson Pena said of the Sonoma Academy match, which is also senior night for the Cougars as well as Breast Cancer Awareness night.
On top of all that, the Upper Lake JV squad can close out a perfect league season with a win over Sonoma Academy.
“No matter what happens it’s going to be a great night,” Gudmundson Pena said.
Of course, a win that clinches a co-championship for the varsity would be the cherry on top.
“They’re excited,” Gudmundson Pena said of her players, especially the seniors. “We’ve been putting a lot of hard work in, focusing on this match. I’m hoping that a loud gym and that kind of (playoff) atmosphere pumps us up. Their gym is always so quiet,” Gudmundson Pena added of the Coyotes’ home floor.
On Tuesday, Tomales was honoring its seniors during its final home match although Gudmundson Pena said the Braves players showed little respect toward their coach and one even had words with him before walking off the floor.
“I felt really bad for him,” Gudmundson Pena said. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
The Cougars did most of their damage against the Braves at the service line where Dena Loans Arrow fired off nine aces and Taylar Minnis added seven more. Nathaly Velasco and Rylee Dalton had five aces apiece.
“It was a serving game,” Gudmundson Pena said.
Win or lose against Sonoma Academy on Thursday, Gudmundson Pena said the Cougars are a shoo-in for the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs that begin next week. At-large teams will be selected and the field set on Sunday. First-round matches in Division 5 are Tuesday. Depending on where the Cougars are seeded in the field will determine who and where they play in the first round.
There was no JV match against Tomales.
Kelseyville def. Cloverdale
At Cloverdale, with only seven players in uniform, the Kelseyville Knights pulled off a five-set victory on Cloverdale’s homecourt, beating the Eagles 25-20, 16-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-10.
Kelseyville (5-7) had two players out sick (not COVID-19), one player out hurt and another competing in a high school rodeo event.
“We only had seven but they did good,” Kelseyville head coach Donelle McCallister said.
Freshmen Olivia Hommer and Cali Schnabl played pivotal roles in the marathon win. Hommer pounded out 20 kills and had four blocks to go along with 16 digs.
“She had a good night,” McCallister said.
Schnabl put 26 serves into play with no errors and two aces.
“Her serve created some problems for them,” McCallister said. “She brought us back a couple of times.”
Larue Furlani and Maddy Madrzyk finished with 11 kills apiece while Jayden Paulich came up big with 22 assists and 17 digs, both team highs.
Cloverdale did win the JV match 25-17, 25-15.
Kelseyville’s teams are home Wednesday against Fort Bragg (13-2) and Thursday against Willits (7-8) to close out league play and the season.
Willits def. Middletown
At Willits, a long season is nearly over for the Middletown Mustangs, who fell 25-17, 25-20, 25-7 to the Willits Wolverines (7-8).
Middletown (4-11) finishes up its league and season schedules Thursday at home against undefeated NCL I champion Roseland University Prep. The Mustangs will honor their seniors during the final home match of the 2021 campaign.
Willits had its senior night Tuesday and the Wolverines, easily the league’s most improved team this season, came out swinging, according to Middletown head coach Vanessa Davis.
“They did really well,” Davis said. “We played with them for the first two sets but their hitters were pounding away at us in that third set and we couldn’t stop them.”
Middletown had a tough times passing the ball too, according to Davis.
Sophie Smith and Alley Brown had two kills apiece for the Mustangs while Smith also had one ace and one block. Becca Graham served six points with two aces and also had two kills.
If nothing else this season, Davis said the Mustangs made it through the year without any COVID-19 outbreaks or lost league matches. They’ll finish with the maximum 16 after playing RUP.
Middletown won the JV match in two sets. Scores were not available.
