SUNSET REGION: Crucial ace helps Bengals top Aggies

Bonanza’s girls volleyball team committed 15 service errors Tuesday.

Yet the Bengals only needed one ace from senior Jessica Wilcox to right the ship and move on to the Sunset Region semifinals.

Wilcox had six aces, five kills and 16 digs to help the Bengals rally past Arbor View, 18-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-20 at Legacy in a Sunset quarterfinal.

After claiming the first set, the Aggies (17-14) built up a 16-13 lead in the second and had the momentum in their favor.

But Wilcox calmly stepped to the line and rattled off five straight points, including a tie-breaking ace that dipped an inch inside Arbor View’s backline, to give the Bengals (26-8) an 18-16 lead and the match’s momentum.

The crucial ace was originally called out, but the linesman immediately ran to the head official to overturn the call.

“When (the serve) dropped, everything was totally worth it,” Wilcox said. “The momentum totally turned for our team. It was great. We knew we deserved that point.”

Bree Hammel registered 22 kills, 14 digs and two aces, and Lauren Karn dished out 33 assists for the Bengals.

“It wasn’t a real smooth match for us,” Bonanza coach Jared Wilkinson said. “They came out a little tight, but we started loosening up and playing some good volleyball as the match went on.”

The Bengals also fought off three set points in the third. Arbor View committed a service error before Bonanza’s Sam Katschke stepped to the line trailing 22-24 and served four points, including the set-clinching ace to gut out the win.

“We’ve got the momentum back on our side, put a smile on your face and play volleyball,” Wilkinson told his team after the first set. “They did. They relaxed a little bit more, and from that point on, we were in control most of the time. The pushed at some key moments, and I was proud of the girls that they were able to weather the storm and finish off the match.”

Rykki Rudd added six kills for Bonanza, which advanced to face Centennial at 5:20 p.m. Thursday at Legacy.

Erika Kelly had 10 digs, seven kills, two blocks and three aces, and Amber Graham added 12 kills and 11 digs for Arbor View, which got 12 assists from Allison McClure.

Centennial 3, Durango 0 — Lacy Miyahira had 15 digs, 11 kills and five blocks as the Bulldogs swept the Trailblazers, 25-14, 25-15, 25-17.

Kassidy Welte added six kills and three aces for Centennial (27-5), and teammate Kristi Farley dished out 16 assists. Ashley Hill had 23 digs and three aces for the Bulldogs.

Sarah Tullis distributed 12 assists, and Mariah Fuentes dug up 19 digs for Durango (15-18), which got five kills from Hailee Wilson and four kills from Cheyanne Haas.

Bishop Gorman 3, Palo Verde 0 — Rachel Wallace had five kills and seven aces as the Gaels downed the Panthers, 25-17, 25-22, 25-19.

Kylee Chun added 18 assists, three kills, two blocks and two aces for Gorman (26-10), which got five kills and five blocks from Shelby Devlin and five kills and six digs from Gianna Ruggeroli.

Breanna Rubalcaba added 22 digs and two aces for the Gaels, who will face Faith Lutheran at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Stephanie Herman dished out 14 assists for Palo Verde (20-14), and Faryn Duncan supplied 26 digs.

Melanie Gueorguiev had six kills and four digs, and Kendall Cheval added three kills and nine digs for the Panthers.

Faith Lutheran 3, Sierra Vista 1 — Kelsey McCourt tallied 38 assists and six digs to help the Crusaders hold off the Mountain Lions, 21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-18.

Taylor Richards had 12 kills, and Taylor Hammer and Vanessa Sigman each added eight kills for Faith Lutheran (22-9), which got seven digs from Gianni Perryman.

Taylor Price had 20 kills, five aces and four digs for Sierra Vista (16-9), and Shelby Stiles distributed 18 assists.
 

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