Valle picks up conference road win

By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer

LEADWOOD — Valle scrambled to win two lengthy rallies at the outset of its conference volleyball match at West County on Thursday, and excellent defense continued to carry the Lady Warriors through a 25-19, 25-20 win.

Effective serving resulted in eight total aces for the Lady Warriors, and junior Taylor Beyatte led a pivotal momentum swing with 10 straight points during the latter stanza. Hannah Kuenzel tallied eight points with two aces.

After senior Chelsie Lashley connected deep with a cross-court spike, Valle was unable to handle three straight serves from Becca Appel, as West County surged to a commanding 12-5 lead in game two.

Freshman Allisyn Dalton provided Valle (5-5) with a spark down the stretch, and recorded eight kills with five assists and five digs in a strong all-around performance. Dalton made a solo block and Kaitlyn Bader brought up a diving dig to win a key point during the decisive comeback.

Rikki Lashley gave the Lady Bulldogs a 19-13 advantage with a smash from the left side, but passing errors prevented West County from clearing the net several times in the final moments.

Dalton tapped the ball down on the second touch, and ripped another kill from the middle to draw Valle even. Kelci Meyer then overpowered the West County back row to bring on match point.

Meyer tallied a team-high seven digs and Megan Ritter made six for the Lady Warriors, while Beyatte finished with eight assists. Valle never trailed in game one and steadily built a double-digit lead.

Appel, who compiled five kills in the match, made a stuff-block and served an ace on consecutive points for the Lady Bulldogs. Ritter countered with three strong digs during a subsequent exchange, and consecutive aces by Kuenzel helped Valle pull away.

Taylor Watson dished out seven assists and Brittany Tongay recorded six digs for the Lady Bulldogs (3-3).