The lady Pirate volleyball team traveled to two rival schools and came away with much different outcomes. The lady Pirates first traveled to Whitehorse to play the lady Raiders who have made considerable noise on the volleyball court as of late. The lady Pirates wanted to match the tone of the JV game where the JV lady Pirates took the JV lady Raiders in four sets to win the match. The lady Pirates took to the court and took charge winning the match in three sets and really never feeling too much pressure. The front line of Michaela Hughes and Jamie Johnson was too much for the lady Raiders to deal with. The ‘W’ was nice and it set the lady Pirates up for the next test in their quest to make a run at State, a trip to the never easy court of the lady Bucks of Monticello. Unlike the previous match where the Pirates wanted to follow the lead of the much improved JV team, this day they wanted to set a new course as the younger Bucks took it to the younger Pirates. Early on the lady Pirates held their own until senior Michaela Hughes pounded a ball over the net but was not square and came down funny on her left foot and ankle. She went down and would not return the rest of the evening. Hannah Manalili subbed into the game and the lady Pirates made an immediate shift having Dallice Johnson fill in for Michaela’s spot and Hannah acting as setter. Coach Simmons said he was impressed at how quickly the girls shifted into different roles but really didn’t settle into the game. Coach Simmons said, “the girls just didn’t seem to settle in and seemed flat. The lady Bucks are a quality team but not out of our league, we could have played better and given them a closer game but we have a chance to make amends as they still have to visit us on our floor.” The lady Pirates lost the match in three sets with the final set having a more respectable score as the girls began to settle in but it was too little, too late.
On Sept. 22, the fans of the lady Pirates volleyball team and the players themselves were treated to a double header against two region opponents. First the lady Jaguars of Navajo Mountain graced the floor of the Pirate gym and someone forgot to tell them that their job was to be seen but not heard. I’m sure someone will tell them next time because they made some noise and luckily it got the attention of the lady Pirates. The first game started out slow and though the lady Jaguars had a long bus ride, they were moving surprisingly fast around the court picking up loose balls. The lady Pirates who had a restful night in their own beds seems a bit flat-footed. The score of the first set showed just how flat footed, 25-18. Way too much for the talent that the lady Pirates have. But the roar wasn’t quite loud enough as the second set had the lady Jaguars with an early seven point lead before the lady Pirates settled down and began to make a game of it. Towards the end of the set the Jaguars were leading 24-20 with the lady Pirates serving. The crowd was excited as were the players and point by point the Pirates clawed their way to a 24 tie before they finished the Jaguars off by scoring the next two points. The lady Pirates went on a 6-0 run to close the game out. This woke them up and the third and final set was won by a score of 25-? .The kinks were out and the lady Pirates were awake and ready for the lady Cougars of Monument Valley. After a lengthy lunch break the players were back on the court and this time the Pirates were ready much earlier than before. The lady Cougars were also more skilled than the lady Jaguars and the court was heating up. The lady Pirates went to their bread and butter setting Jamie Johnson and Michaela Hughes on the front line. However, more often than not the lady Cougars responded by handling the spike and returning it over the net as well and an occasional block or two to make thing interesting. The lady Pirates had to settle down and play to win as the lady Cougars were not going home without a fight. The Pirates won the first set but dropped the second. This brought up the excitement level in the gym but in the end the lady Pirates put them away as they ready themselves to travel to Price to play Pinnacle. The Green River lady Pirates recently visited the home court of the lady Panthers of Pinnacle Academy for a region girls volleyball game. The rivalry between the two schools is blossoming nicely as each team hungers for a win. The lady Pirates entered Wednesday night’s game ready for a fight and a fight they got. The first set had the lady Pirates pretty much in control the whole game with the Pirates winning 25 – 10. In the second set things got interesting. Mid-way through the set with a score of 15 – 10 in the lady Pirates favor, the lady Panthers figured they’d had enough and fought back to tie the score and to go up by one. This lit a fire under the lady Pirates, and though credit needs to go to the front line of the Panthers who handled more than a few of the hard hits by Michaela Hughes and Jamie Johnson, they couldn’t handle everything and the lady Pirates finished the set out with a score of 25 – 17. The Pirates finished off the match by taking the third set 25 – 17. Jamie Johnson closed out the match with 12 kills while Michaela Hughes ended with one less at 11. It was another match where during each set Dallice Johnson was setting the hitters up nicely as Feleshia Antillon, Sydney Thayn and Mikayla Shaffer covered the floor and made their share of power hits and kills. All this play sets the lady Pirates up nicely with home games remaining against region foes Monticello and Whitehorse but they still must make the arduous trek to the spectacular wild lands of Southern Utah to play Monument Valley and Navajo Mountain.
Lady Pirates continue their winning ways
"Dallice Johnson stepping into the role as a middle blocker during the Monticello match."