The Pahrump Valley High School varsity girls volleyball team faced a challenging early-season test Thursday, Aug. 13, taking on a strong Shadow Ridge squad in a matchup that provided the Trojans with both encouraging moments and valuable experience.
Although Pahrump ultimately fell in three sets, 25-22, 25-12 and 25-11, the final scores did not tell the entire story of the evening. The Trojans showed flashes of strong offensive play, aggressive serving and solid work at the net, while the opening set in particular demonstrated their ability to compete point-for-point with a difficult opponent.
“Shadow Ridge is a tough team,” Head Coach Amber Lugo said. “The girls played very well in the first set, and then we just made too many mistakes. Shadow Ridge used every one of them to their advantage.”
The first set was competitive from the opening points, with neither team immediately able to establish control. Sophomore Olivia Veloz made her presence known early at the net with a block during a long rally, while senior Xe’ane Kamanu followed with an attack as the Trojans worked to keep the ball alive.
Senior Riley Saldaña provided one of Pahrump’s early offensive highlights with a hard spike, helping the Trojans stay right with Shadow Ridge through the opening stretch.
Veloz continued to contribute at the net and from the service line as the score tightened to 4-4. Saldaña then made a heads-up defensive play at the net, reading a tip attempt and blocking it back onto the Shadow Ridge side.
The senior followed that effort with a strong turn at the service line. Saldaña delivered back-to-back aces, giving the Trojans an early boost and helping Pahrump build an 8-5 advantage.
Shadow Ridge answered, eventually pulling even at 8-8 before the two teams continued trading points. Veloz provided another offensive spark when she attacked at the net and found the floor on the opposite side, keeping the Trojans within striking distance as the set moved into double digits.
Shadow Ridge eventually began to create some separation, building a 19-13 advantage, but Pahrump refused to let the opening set get away without a fight.
After a Shadow Ridge service error gave the Trojans a point, Pahrump won another rally to cut the margin to 19-15. Saldaña then attacked from behind the line, driving the ball through a Shadow Ridge block attempt and onto the floor to make it 21-16.
Facing set point at 24-16, the Trojans put together their strongest run of the set.
A Shadow Ridge attack sailed out to give Pahrump the first point of the rally, followed by another error that brought the Trojans within six. Sophomore Henna Leigh Maiava then stepped to the service line and delivered an ace, cutting the score to 24-19.
Junior Miani Freitas-Faamai kept the momentum going. She first caught the defense with a well-placed tip over the net and followed it with an aggressive return that came across as a spike for another point.
Suddenly, a set that had appeared nearly finished had tightened to 24-21.
Pahrump continued applying pressure on the next rally, forcing Shadow Ridge into another unsuccessful return to make it 24-22 and prompting a timeout.
The Trojans nearly extended the comeback again after the break, getting hands on Shadow Ridge’s next attack at the net, but the ball dropped on the Pahrump side to finally end the set, 25-22.
The six-point run to close the gap provided an encouraging glimpse of the Trojans’ ability to remain composed and continue competing even with their backs against the wall. It also reflected Lugo’s belief that this year’s group is already further along than it was at the same point a season ago.
Shadow Ridge established an advantage earlier in the second set, but Pahrump continued producing individual highlights.
The Trojans stayed close in the opening points, including a pair of successful plays that had the teams even at 2-2. Shadow Ridge moved ahead, but Pahrump answered when senior Evalenne Armendariz recorded an ace to help cut the deficit to 7-5.
Maiava later used a soft touch rather than power, tipping the ball over the defense for a point. She followed that later in the set with another ace from the service line.
Kamanu also produced one of Pahrump’s strongest heads-up plays of the set. Rather than simply keeping the ball alive, she sent a sharp bump over the net that caught Shadow Ridge off guard and could not be returned.
Saldaña continued to provide an offensive threat as well. Late in the set, she drove an attack toward the opposite corner and found open court for a point. With Veloz serving shortly afterward, Pahrump pressured Shadow Ridge into sending an attack out of bounds.
Shadow Ridge ultimately took the second set 25-12 to move within one set of the match.
Pahrump responded with one of its strongest starts of the night in the third.
After Shadow Ridge scored the first two points, junior Kaitlyn Brown put the Trojans on the board with a spike. Kamanu then went to the service line and immediately made an impact, firing consecutive aces to give Pahrump a 3-2 advantage.
Shadow Ridge recovered and began building a lead, but the Trojans continued fighting for points.
Freshman Mahina Decambra entered to serve during the set, while Pahrump’s front row continued challenging the Shadow Ridge attack.
One of the Trojans’ better sequences began with Saldaña getting a block on an opposing spike. Pahrump kept the play going, allowing Freitas-Faamai to attack. Her spike deflected off the Shadow Ridge defense and out of bounds, earning the Trojans another point.
Later, a Shadow Ridge attack went into the rafters as Pahrump’s pressure forced another mistake.
Saldaña delivered one of her hardest attacks of the match to bring Pahrump into double digits at 20-10. The senior remained aggressive throughout the closing points, continuing to swing at the Shadow Ridge defense as the Trojans tried to extend the match.
Shadow Ridge ultimately finished the third set 25-11 to secure the three-set victory.
While the Trojans would have preferred a different result, Lugo deliberately built a difficult preseason schedule to challenge her players before they move deeper into the season. Rather than measuring the team’s progress solely by wins and losses during that stretch, she sees the level of competition as an opportunity for the Trojans to develop against teams capable of capitalizing on mistakes.
“Our preseason is very challenging because I know we can compete, and we will come out the other side of it far better,” Lugo said. “We have new players filling big roles, and I look forward to seeing their growth and success.”
That growth was evident in several areas Thursday, with the Trojans displaying multiple offensive options and contributions throughout the lineup. Saldaña was active as an attacker, blocker and server, while Kamanu combined aggressive swings with a pair of third-set aces. Veloz contributed at the net, Maiava found success with both serving and touch placement, and Freitas-Faamai, Brown, Armendariz and Decambra each contributed during different stretches of the match.
For Lugo, one of the biggest keys moving forward will be limiting the unforced errors that allowed Shadow Ridge to create separation after the tightly contested opening set.
“We have to take care of our side of the court,” Lugo said. “The girls are evolving and adding to their arsenal of skills. We are ahead of where we were last year by a significant margin.”
Perhaps the most encouraging stretch of Thursday’s match came at the end of the first set, when Pahrump faced a 24-16 deficit and responded by winning six consecutive points. Rather than conceding the set, the Trojans forced Shadow Ridge to work for the final point and turned what could have been a comfortable finish into a 25-22 battle.
With a challenging preseason designed to test the team from the outset, the Trojans will continue using those opportunities to develop their new lineup, reduce mistakes and expand the skills Lugo believes can make them a stronger team as the season progresses.
