GUNNISON – The Gunnison Valley girls’ volleyball team had a big week, winning 6 straight matches. They improve their overall record to 15-2, 4-0 in region play, with a 14-game winning streak.
The Bulldogs traveled to Salina on Tuesday, Sept. 28 to take on the North Sevier Wolves. The Bulldogs came out confident and played with intensity the first set, winning 25-14.
In set two, the Wolves put up a better fight, but the Bulldogs didn’t back down and won by 2 points, 26-24. The Bulldogs didn’t mess around in set three and finished strong, winning 25-18.
Senior Kennedi Knudsen led the team with 21 kills. Senior Raven Pickett had 14 digs and 5 aces. Senior Aubryann (Bob) Burrell also added 4 aces and had 27 assists.
On Thursday, Sept. 30, The Bulldogs headed to Moab to take on the Grand County Red Devils. The Bulldogs started out a little flat, and the Devils won the first set 22-25. The Bulldogs quickly pulled themselves together and fought hard as a team to win the next three sets 25-22, 25-16, and 25-17.
Kennedi Knudsen had 27 kills and hit .246%. Hadlee McDonald had 10 kills and hit .250%. Raven Pickett had 31 digs and Knudsen chipped in with 25. McDonald led with 3 aces. Chelsi Helms and Knudsen were right behind her with 2 aces each. Burrell had 41 assists and 15 digs.
On Saturday, Oct. 2, the Bulldogs traveled to Parowan to play in a tournament where they played 4 matches. First up, they faced Milford High School. The Bulldogs were a little slow to get going, and Milford claimed the first set 19-25. The Bulldogs came back strong in the next three sets and defeated the Milford Tigers 25-16, 25-17, and 25-18.
Next up, the Bulldogs played Tabiona High School and won in 3 straight sets with 25-20, 25-23, and 25-15.
In the third match of the day, the Bulldogs defeated Wayne High School by dominating in three straight sets: 25-13, 25-15, and 25-13.
This sent the Bulldogs to the championship game in the gold bracket where they faced the Duchesne Eagles. The Eagles came out strong and ready to play, but the Bulldogs didn’t back down and fought hard together as a team. They won the Championship game in three straight sets with the final scores being 25-20, 26-24, and 25-23.
Tournament stats:
•Knudsen: 88 Kills, Hit .354%, 7 Blocks, 4 Aces, 43 Digs
•Pickett: 12 Aces, Served 98.6%, 51 Digs
•Burrell: 126 Assists, 35 Digs, 3 Aces, 2 Blocks
•McDonald: 35 Kills, 2 Aces, 19 Digs
•Helms: 12 Kills, 4 Blocks, 2 Aces, 9 Digs
•Henrie: 13 Kills, 2 Blocks
•Sorenson: 6 Kills, 28 Digs, 3 Blocks, 1 Ace
•Dyreng: 5 Digs
Left Back: Coach Shanell Knudsen, Hadlee McDonald, Bob Burrell, Kate Henrie, Kennedi Knudsen, Chelsi Helms, Rilee Dyreng, Raven Pickett, Asst Coach Charity Overly
Left Bottom: Abby Hayes, Jakelle Sorenson, Kadence Belnap, Meilani Jensen, Laurynn Stewart
