by 
Copper Basin News
The Jr. Lady Bearcats seventh and eighth grade teams played two matches last week, the first versus San Manuel and later in the week against Hayden.
The seventh grade split its two matches, losing to San Manuel, 2 – 1 (22-25, 25-7, 15-7) and beating Hayden, 3 – 0 (25-21, 25-21, 15-11)
“As a team, we let too many balls hit the floor,” Jr. Lady Bearcats head coach Stacy Johnson said about the loss to San Manuel. “(We were) not moving to make a play on the ball.”
In the Jr. Lady ‘Cats game two win, Acacia Baldenergro, Ashlin Baca, and Shaylyn Arbizo were strong at the service line.
Against Hayden, Shelby Yocum stood out from the service line, serving up two aces in a game two win. It was a total team victory in this game as 11 players contributed to the victory.
Julia Lorona, Shaylyn Arbizo, and Acacia Baldenegro, Danella Morales, Julianna Hong, and Emma Cude proved to be too much from the service line during all three games of the match.
After seeing her team split two matches last week, Coach Johnson sees some areas that need improvement.
“There are a lot of skills that we need to practice and show improvement as a team,” she said. “We definitely need to learn to wait on the ball, stop hesitating, have our arms out and ready, and understand the positions of the game better.”
The eighth grade team won both matches last week, defeating San Manuel, 2 – 1 (17-25, 25-22, 15-13) and Hayden, 3 – 0 (25-7, 25-10, 15-4).
The Jr. Lady ‘Cats came from behind to win game two versus San Manuel, propelling them to win game three and earn the match victory. Amee Kenyon recorded 11 straight service points before Jori Hudson finished the match with five service points of her own.
Augie-Lou Hing served the winning point in game three to earn the Jr. Lady ‘Cats the match victory.
In the first game against Hayden Tara Lorona executed some pregame serve adjustments to perfection, recording 12 service points in-a-row, including three aces. Riley Cude, Augie-Lou Hing, Julie Meza, and Amee Kenyon made key contributions during the game.
Hailey Rutter, Destiny Gonzales, and Julie Mesa proved to be too much from the service line for the Jr. Lobos in game two.
The Jr. Lady ‘Cats continued to dominate at the service line in game three. This time Myranda Figueroa recorded 11 service points in-a-row.
“Both teams need to improve on their three-touch volley skills,” Johnson told the Copper Basin News. “I want to see us get stronger at every practice.”
The Jr. Lady ‘Cats travel to San Carlos on September 24 for a match versus the Jr. Braves.
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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