Written by Laura Robison
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The Moapa Valley High School volleyball team played their final game of the regular season at home against their Virgin Valley High School rival on Monday, April 29, which was also Senior Night for the Pirates.
At issue was each team's place in the playoffs. The Bulldogs were tied with Valley High School for the No. 1 seed, while the Pirates were sitting in third place in the 3A Desert League.
The Bulldogs won the match in three sets, but it wasn't easy for the Pirates either.
The Moapa team took some time to get going. The Bulldogs took advantage of that opportunity. They served first and led throughout the game, ending the set with a 25-16 victory.
The Pirates made more mistakes in the second set. The Bulldogs continued to play well and won by a final score of 25-14.
The Pirates were ready to take the fight in the third set. With a lot of good play from both sides, the Bulldogs took the lead and won the set 25-19.
On the Pirates' side, Kayden Lawson had the most return serves with 21. Jimmy Ward led the team with 10 digs and 25 assists. and Mateo Bradshaw had 10 kills on the night.
For the Bulldogs, Destry Tobler had 10 kills in the match, while Reece Leavitt and McKay Mulitalo each had eight kills. Andrew Muniz had 11 digs. Nate Pandjaitan had 29 assists.
“We are very happy with the win tonight,” VVHS head coach Courtney Tobler said. “Our players are peaking at the right times and our setters have done a great job.”
MVHS head coach Tiffany Frederick said her team needs to work on that focus. “It's all about mentality and when the other team gets upset, it's hard for our players to recover,” she said.
Pirate seniors recognized that night included Aiden Leavitt, David Walker, Jimmy Ward, Cale Freeman and Kayden Dixon.
The Bulldogs are currently the No. 1 seed in the league. The Bulldogs begin the regional tournament against Western on Tuesday, May 7 at 6 p.m. at the Bulldog Gym.
MVHS will finish the regular season as the No. 3 seed. The Pirates' league record is 10 wins and 4 losses. They will play Coral Academy in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 7th at 6 p.m.