Kaitlin Rizzo (12) of Elko goes up for a shot against Fallon in a match played in late October.
The Elko Lady Indians (6-15 overall) will be going into the Northern 3A Regional Volleyball Tournament as the No. 6 team, facing off against Dayton in their first game.
Elko Coach Cammie Nelson felt they have been struggling with consistency this season. The team would have several losses, then get one or two wins before moving back to struggling in games; they also went between close five-set games and washes where they did not win any sets.
“We have days where we play textbook volleyball,” Nelson said. “Then others where we really struggled.”
By the end of the season, it was up in the air whether they would get into the tournament this year. In their last game, though, a close match against Spring Creek, they edged the Lady Spartans for a 3-1 win and pushed into the playoffs.
While there are a number of seniors on the team, most of them do not have much experience playing at the varsity level. This has lead to some issues in adjusting to the scale of the competition.
“I think that’s been one of our biggest struggles this year, is getting them to play at that higher level,” Nelson said.
She’s confident of their skill, though, and feels they will do well if they put everything together, staying calm and confident. The hope for the tournament is for the Lady Indians to improve their consistency and bring a solid game to upset Dayton tonight.
Nelson and her team are looking forward to their first day of the tournament. She hopes they will be able to beat the other teams and fight their way through the brackets for a regionals win. She said it would likely come down to whether they arrive with lots of confidence and being ready to win or are nervous for the competition.
Elko’s first game will be tonight against Dayton at 7 p.m. The winner will go on to face the Fallon Greenwave tomorrow at 2 p.m.
