The Pahrump Valley High School girls’ varsity volleyball team responded to a difficult opening stretch with its strongest set of the night Thursday, Sept. 3, pushing Virgin Valley beyond the regulation finish before falling 3-0 at home in Pahrump.
Avery Sampson opened the evening by singing the national anthem before the Trojans took the court and quickly built an early advantage.
Senior Riley Saldana delivered a spike for the first point of the match, and consecutive Virgin Valley errors helped Pahrump move ahead 3-0. A serve from senior Xe’ane Kamanu rolled over the net for another point before Saldana added a second kill, extending the lead to 5-1.
Virgin Valley gradually narrowed the margin, but Saldana kept the Trojans in front with a well-placed tip. Junior Sedona Norton later served an ace to put Pahrump ahead 9-8, beginning another productive stretch for the home team. An attack into the net by the Bulldogs, another Norton ace and a Kamanu kill increased the advantage to 12-8.
Pahrump’s defense also contributed to the opening-set effort. The Trojans kept one rally alive with two strong digs before Kamanu finished the point with a spike, giving Pahrump a 13-9 lead.
The Bulldogs answered with an extended run, moving in front as the Trojans worked through several attack and serve-receive errors. Pahrump briefly cut into the deficit with a back-row attack from Saldana and later earned a point when Virgin Valley touched the net while defending an attack by sophomore Olivia Veloz. The Bulldogs maintained control down the stretch, however, taking the opening set 25-17.
Virgin Valley carried that momentum into the second set, but Pahrump continued looking for opportunities through the middle. Junior Miani Freitas-Faamai scored twice on quick sets to help the Trojans pull even at 3-3 and again at 4-4.
After the Bulldogs established a lead, Freitas-Faamai added a tip and Veloz put down a spike. Kamanu followed with an ace placed just inside the back line, then forced another difficult reception with her next serve as Pahrump reduced the margin to 15-10.
Saldana later drove an attack into Virgin Valley’s block, with the ball falling on the Bulldogs’ side for a Trojan point. Kamanu followed with a dig that allowed Pahrump to return the ball, and Virgin Valley was unable to reach it. The Bulldogs closed the set with a service run to win 25-13 and move ahead 2-0 in the match.
Rather than allowing the first two sets to dictate the remainder of the evening, Pahrump regrouped and produced a much more competitive third set.
Saldana tipped the ball over the net for an early point, while Freitas-Faamai sent a controlled attack into the back of the court. With the teams trading points, the Trojans moved ahead 6-5 and then capitalized on two Virgin Valley attack errors to build an 8-6 advantage.
Sophomore Henna Maiava delivered a well-placed set to Saldana for a hard spike, putting Pahrump ahead 9-6. With Veloz serving, Freitas-Faamai recorded a block, and two more Bulldog errors stretched the Trojan lead to 13-7.
Another quick set to Freitas-Faamai resulted in a difficult dig that Virgin Valley could not recover, giving Pahrump a seven-point advantage. Junior Kaitlyn Brown later attacked from the far-right side for a 15-9 lead.
Virgin Valley began closing the gap, but the Trojans continued finding answers. Kamanu passed to Saldana for a cross-court combination that ended with a spike, then added a soft attack of her own. Norton followed with an ace before a Bulldog attack sailed out, giving Pahrump a 19-14 advantage.
Maiava and Saldana connected again late in the set, this time with Maiava sending the ball across the court to Saldana on the left side for a forceful finish and a 22-17 lead. Virgin Valley responded with three consecutive points, but Saldana stopped the run with a spike down the left sideline.
The Bulldogs continued applying pressure and eventually tied the set at 24-24. A serve beyond the end line gave Pahrump set point, but Virgin Valley stayed alive and evened the score at 25.
Maiava put the Trojans back in front by battling at the net and sending an attack toward the opposite corner. Virgin Valley answered again, then moved ahead 27-26 with an ace. Pahrump attempted to extend the set with a quick set to Veloz, but the attack landed just beyond the back line, allowing the Bulldogs to escape with a 28-26 victory.
Although the result went to Virgin Valley, Pahrump’s third-set response showed the team’s ability to make adjustments and compete through a tight finish. The Trojans generated offense from several positions, challenged the Bulldogs at the net and came within two points of forcing the match into a fourth set.
