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Ray 8th grade volleyball team finishes as runner up at CJHL tournament.
The Ray Jr. High 8th-grade volleyball team rebounded from a 1 – 3 start by going 4 – 0 in the second half of the season and earning the No. 5-seed in the Central Junior High League (CJHL) Volleyball Tournament, which was hosted by San Carlos High School on Oct. 8.
“We struggled in the first half,” said Ray head coach Stacy Johnson. “But we made a comeback in the second half.”
The Jr. Lady Cats defeated No. 4-seed and tourney host San Carlos, 2 – 1 (23-25, 25-10, 15-5), in the opening round. Marissa Barragan served up two aces and had six hits to star in the win. Chelsea Flores added an ace and a hit. Lucinda Schneider complimented both from the service line as well. Emma Stuart, Chasity Kelley and Indigo Patterson combined to record five hits in the match.
In the semifinals, Ray upset top-seeded Mt. Vista, 2 – 0 (25-16, 25-17), to earn a spot in the championship match versus No. 3-seed High Desert Middle School.
Flores, Patterson and Barragan again performed well from the service line in the win, combining for four aces. Flores also had a team-high four hits. Kelley, Patterson and Stuart combined for four hits.
The Lady Cats split the first two games (25-21 and 11-25) in the championship match before dropping the deciding third game (6-15) to finished as the tournament’s runner-up.
Stuart had an ace in the final match. Flores had four hits to go along with two tips. Barragan and Stuarts finished with two hits each. Kacy Molar added a tip and Patterson a hit.
“We served well, played the ball for three touches, had some awesome hits, and stayed strong as a team,” Johnson said about her team’s performance in the tournament. “All of these girls played in this tournament and helped us in their own special volleyball way.”
“I hope all these girls want to continue playing volleyball at the next level,” she added. “I thank Ray Schools for the opportunity to coach such caring and outstanding individual Lady Cats.”
The 8th-grade is: Emma Stuart, Indigo Patterson, Kacy Molar, Chelsea Flores, Marissa Barragan, Chasity Kelley, Monaray Sanchez, Lucinda Schneider, and Elora Foster.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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