Continuing their conference undefeated streak, the Lady Dragon volleyball team swept the Declo Hornets and the Soda Springs Cardinals as they hosted the two teams for their second matchups of the season during their homecoming week.  Scoring 150 points to the combined 78 points of their opponents, the MHS team proved without a doubt that they were clearly the dominating team in every match of the week.

Playing the Hornets Wednesday, October 8, Malad was ready for battle on the court.  Watching their competitors warming up for the game, the Lady Dragons could see the talent opposing them and knew that the game would take grit, determination and endurance to win out.  

Malad secured a quick lead to start the game off and maintained the narrow gap on the scoreboard as the opening set played out.  Up just 8-6, Brynnlee Jones sent a kill across the net, completely untouched by the Declo defense, starting a momentum that put the Lady Dragons on a 12-3 run.  The two teams nearly matched point for point as they played out the remainder of the set, the MHS team claiming the victory 25-14.

Opening game two with the serve, Paityn Ward sent over two quick serves the Hornet passers could never return, putting Malad up 2-0.  Working their way around their rotation, the Lady Dragons managed to score 2 points to every one Declo tacked up on the board.  The hot hitting spot of the night was from the outside as Jones and Jette Nelson swung away for a combined 22 kills.  The Hornets did well to pop up a number of hits, but it was Malad’s resilience and continued consistent attacks that outlasted Declo and resulted in the 25-12 win of the second set of the game.

Up 2-0, it took only one final push to end the night in the final game of the night.  Flustered by the complete domination of the Lady Dragons, the Hornets began committing more and more errors throughout the game- hitting the ball into the net, reacting too slowly to a quick tip dumped over by Izzy Haycock, and shanking a tough serve by Kialey Pickett in just the first handful of plays.  

In contrast, the MHS team gained in confidence which translated into more sure passing, setting and hitting.  Their court coverage was more definite and their ability to adjust more fluid.  Before long, the Lady Dragons were upon matchup point, up 24-8.  Ward was once again at the service line for Malad, sending over her signature jump serve.  The Hornets passed up the ball, setting up an attack from the middle hitter position.  They were met at the net by the duo block of the Nelson sisters, Liv and Jette.  The ball bounced off the block, Declo unable to recover the quick shift into the net.  The Lady Dragons cheered as the ball fell to the floor, celebrating the 25-8 victory to end the night.

The MHS team returned to the court the very next night to take on the Soda Springs Cardinals in their final regular season home game.  Before jumping into the match, the Lady Dragons, coaches, and fans recognized and honored the outgoing seniors, including setter Izzy Haycock, defensive specialist Quincee Hammer, outside hitter Brynnlee Jones, opposite hitter Purity Miller, middle hitter Liv Nelson, and opposite hitter Kendra Rupp. 

The game began with a strong rally, both teams managing to keep the play alive until the Cardinals committed an error to award the point and the serve to Malad. In their normal fashion, the Lady Dragons dominated the game, slowly pulling away on the scoreboard.

Not all plays were picture perfect, but their quick reactions to adapt not only kept them in the game but allowed them to turn losing plays into point winning moments.  In one such instance, Malad’s Jones served to the Cardinals who rebutted with a strong attack.  Libero Ward dug the hit, which unfortunately went long and over the net.  Soda Springs block the overpass, the ball dropping straight down the net.  Kendra Rupp managed to keep the ball off the floor, Haycock bumping it out of the net to keep it alive.  Rupp took a single step back to set up before taking a quick left-handed swing to take the attack to the Cardinals who eventually were unable to rally back for the win.  In just a matter of time, the Lady Dragons claimed the win 25-11.

Switching sides of the court as they went into game two of the match, the Cardinals snagged their only lead of the game, 2-1.  Trading the lead with Malad multiple times over the remainder of the game, Soda Springs had several point winning plays that caught the MHS team on their heels.  With a little more fire to their game, Soda Springs attempted to keep pace with the Lady Dragons but was never able to make much headway on the scoreboard.  As the game wore on, the MHS pulled ahead, maintaining the lead until their 25-16 win.

Whether it was a well placed spot serve, a strategically located tip, or ball stopping block, the deliberated plays by the Lady Dragons led them to another strong lead as they played into the third game of the match.  But the Cardinals were determined to play until the very last whistle, not even giving up when Malad hit match point, 24-14.  

Pushing on three more points, Soda Springs wasn’t willing to simply give in to the MHS team’s pressure.  Mady Vanbebber finally found the chink in their defense as she pounded an outside hit through the Cardinal double block for the game winning point, ending with a score of 25-17.

The home court wins couldn’t have been a greater way for the Lady Dragons to begin winding down the season.  Despite going up against talented competitors, the MHS continues to dominate the court.  Head Coach Camie Tripp shared, “It’s not just that we have good players but our success comes from our ability to outlast teams.  It’s being able to react and adjust that keeps our game alive.”

The Lady Dragons will play two final games to end the regular season as they travel to Sugar/Salem on Tuesday October 14, followed by a match in Wendell October 15.