Tuba City netters outlast Lady Scouts in four-set thriller

FORT DEFIANCE

After reaching the 20-point plateau, points were hard to come by for the Tuba City Lady Warriors and the Window Rock Lady Scouts during a 3A North Region tussle on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams appeared to seize the momentum at that instant, but in the opening two sets the team to reach that plateau first lost those sets. In the final two frames, Tuba lunged ahead to reach that stage only to have the Scouts make the game that more interesting to hang on.

But it was the Warriors that found the daylight they needed to post a hard-fought 22-25, 29-27, 26-24, 25-21 win at the Bee Hółdzil Fighting Scouts Event Center in Fort Defiance.

“I think both teams did a great job,” Tuba City coach Kristin Balcerek said. “Window Rock is improving each match we’ve seen them play since the start of the season. They’re definitely getting up there and they’re doing a good job.

“But I think it comes down to being consistent and making sure that we’re capitalizing on the free balls after the 20-point mark,” she added. “We have to make sure that we’re communicating and putting the ball in the right spots.”

Window Rock coach Ashley Mitchell agreed that those momentum shifts highlighted the competitive nature of both squads while emphasizing the importance of minimizing their mistakes.

“Both teams are competitors,” said Mitchell, whose team dropped to 18-7 overall and 2-2 in region play. “I mean, Tuba City is always competitive, so it really came down to who wanted it the most and whoever made the less mistakes.”

The Window Rock coach admitted that her team is going through some growing pains after losing all-region setter Allyson Emerson at the start of region play on Sept. 16 against the Chinle Lady Wildcats.

“She got hurt during our warmups before the game,” Mitchell said. “Losing her is hurting us, but my underclassmen are really stepping up and they’re learning how to handle these pressure situations.”

In the opening set, the Scouts seemed to handle that pressure well as they erased a 20-18 deficit. A backrow kill by junior defensive specialist Ryleigh Owens spurred a 7-2 run as the Scouts also received two more kills from junior Snowie Ben for its 25-22 win.

In the next set though, the Mitchell-coached team could not consolidate a 22-16 advantage as Tuba surprised the Scouts with a momentum-changing rally behind the play of senior middle blocker Skylynn Whiterock.

“Skylynn is one our seniors and early in the season she got injured,” Balcerek said. “It was tough not having her out there but now that we have her, she’s making her presence known. She’s a big block on the net, and she’s hitting well, too.”

Whiterock put down a pair of kills and a stuff block to pull the Warriors within 23-21. Tuba, however, had an ill-advised service error as Window Rock needed one more point to secure a 2-0 lead.

But Whiterock produced another block and after a kill by teammate Thalia Clitso, Tuba tied the set at 24-all. Window Rock earned three more game-points, but they could not close out the set as two hitting errors by the Scouts gave Tuba a 29-27 win.

“I took my second timeout, and I just told my team that you guys are not playing to your full potential,” Balcerek said. “It just wasn’t them and I told them get their head in the game and start playing, and they turned it around.

“I mean, they could have easily just let that set go, and moved on to the next one,” she continued. “But they pushed through, and they got mentally tough in that set, so I’m really proud of them for that.”

Whiterock, who finished with a match-high 16 kills, produced three early kills in the third set that earned Tuba a 12-8 cushion. The Warriors nursed that lead to 21-15, but Window Rock regained the momentum on a 9-0 run.

After getting the serve back on a stuff block from senior middle hitter Samira White, Window Rock’s Caitlin James put across eight service points for a 24-22 cushion.

Nevertheless, the Warriors reclaimed the momentum on a 4-0 rally, which included the set winning block from Whiterock.

In the fourth set, Window Rock stayed within striking distance and tied the game at 15-all. But Tuba used a 7-0 run to go up 22-15 behind four consecutive aces by sophomore Arianna Saganitso.

Despite a late rally by the Scouts, the Balcerek-coached team put the finishing touches for its 25-21 win.

On Tuesday night, Tuba beat Page in four sets as the Warriors ran its record to 19-9-1 overall and 6-2 in 3A North play. The set scores were 19-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-12.

With two games left in region play, Tuba City has clinched at least the second seed for the upcoming regional tournament which will be held on Thursday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Nov. 1 at Tuba City High School.

“I think it’s an advantage,” Balcerek said of hosting the regional tournament. “It’s always good to play on your home court and again we don’t have to travel. We don’t have to deal with the long journey to get where we need to play so playing on your home court is an advantage and we’ll have our community there and our fans, which will help a lot too.”

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