League title in reach of volleyballers

By Jared Harmon

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008 | midnight

Despite a 3-1 loss to Pahrump Valley on Oct. 1, the Boulder City High Eagles girls volleyball team is still 8-2 and in a good position to make a run at the 3A Southern League title.

Coach Cherise Roe said the Eagles have been playing solidly and are interacting well as a team.

"The team has looked good and we're still improving," Roe said. "We're a good serving team and a good defensive team and that's helped us out."

Leading the way on defense has been Kelsey Ripplinger, a junior defensive specialist, who Roe said leads the team in digs and has helped the Eagles keep points off the scoreboard.

Offensively, Roe pointed to Julia Jeppsen, a senior hitter who has consistently been able to contribute to the Eagles' cause.

"I think we're doing really well but we need to work more on our offense and placing our hits," Jeppsen said. "We have a good defense so we just have to keep that going. If we talk it up and make sure we're communicating what we want to do, we'll keep winning."

As the season begins to wind down, the Eagles are already thinking about the postseason and earning the highest seed they can. Roe said the Southern 3A is one of the most competitive leagues in the state and it will take a concentrated effort to tackle teams like Moapa Valley and Faith Lutheran.

"We're going to work on improving our outside hitting ability and staying consistent all around," Roe said. "We've got some tough matches coming up but this is a game of momentum — anything can happen."

Jeppsen said she has confidence in the Eagles' abilities and feels that with a little more hard work, this could be a championship season.

"I definitely see us doing well in the playoffs," Jeppsen said. "We can do really well because we all get along. We just have to keep it up. We have to find the other team's weak spots and dominate.

Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or [email protected].