The West Valley volleyball team mades its 2022 home debut last night and came away with a hard-fought 25-21, 29-27, 26-28, 25-18 win over Sierra. Having lost seven key players from Coach Armen Zakarian's 2021 state runner-up squad, the Vikings took the floor with a mix of untested new players and a couple trusty veterans. Both entities came through Wednesday night.
Returners Flor Porras and Sydney Rogers were strong and steady presences for Zakarian's almost completely-revamped rotations, but five new Vikings - Ahnessa Clemente, Alex Franklin, Aubree Lang, Amelie Moya and Nunu Saulala - gave a glimpse of a bright future.
Franklin had match highs in kills (18) and digs (18), to go along with a solo block and a service ace. Clemente had a number of powerhouse swings, finishing with 11 kills, as did Lang. Moya led the Viking D with three solo blocks and also had five kills, while Saulala connected on five big kills and was a presence at the net all night, finishing with three blocks, two of them of the solo variety.
Brooke Lopez's 10 digs were also a statistical highlight. Rogers showed her 2021 All-NorCal form as she handed out a match-high 41 assists and came up with 10 digs and an ace. Porras finished the night with 17 digs, four assists and two aces. Gabrielle Carbonel had a pair of key service aces in the crucial fourth set.
The Vikings (2-1) head to Stockton this weekend for the 2022 San Joaquin Delta College Classic. WVC opens against College of the Sequoias (3-3) Friday morning at 11:00am.
