Navajo Prep netters extend winning streak to 8 games

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Oct 27, 2022 | Volleyball |

WINDOW ROCK

The Navajo Prep volleyball team is peaking at the right time.

The Lady Eagles went 5-7 overall before the district season, playing against 4A competition with teams like Gallup, Grants, Kirtland Central, Capital, and Miyamura.

Since then, Navajo Prep has won nine of 10 league games, including the last eight, as they currently lead the District 1-3A race with a 9-1 mark.

Thoreau comes in next at 7-2 overall, followed by Tohatchi (7-3), Crownpoint (5-4), Wingate (3-7), Zuni (2-7), and Newcomb (0-8).

“My girls have really come together,” Navajo Prep coach Jolynn Joe said while adding that they had a tough start to the season. “They’ve learned how each other plays, and, you know, that was important.

“And if they wanted to aim for state, they needed to come together and know one another because I have a brand group of girls,” she added. “I have a really young team with five, six returners.”

On Tuesday, the Eagles traveled to Wingate and were pushed to four sets. The set scores were 25-17, 20-25, 25-8, and 25-15.

Joe said it took her team a while to get going as Wingate had its senior and parent night.

“We had our slumps, and they admitted that,” she said.

The Eagles had two players reach double figures in kills, with junior Aniya Johnson leading the way with a dozen kills while Leah Harrison had 10.

Senior setter Layla Harrison finished with 20 assists, while junior Maureen Ford had 10 digs.

Navajo Prep will finish the season with Crownpoint on Tuesday and Newcomb on Novem 3.

“We can’t take any team lightly,” Joe said. “We can get beat on any given night.”

Earlier this season, the Eagles split its series with Thoreau, beating Tohatchi in four sets to gain the district’s top spot.

“Those were the two toughest teams we faced in our district,” Joe said of Tohatchi and Thoreau. “Our second time around, we knew they would get better, and we needed to get better also.”