Dragons regain poise in win over Wolves

After suffering back-to-back losses on the road to Vine Valley rivals Petaluma and Justin-Siena, the Sonoma Valley volleyball team took it out on visiting American Canyon, besting the Wolves in three strong straight sets.

It was by no means a sure thing. American Canyon boasts three of the top five hitters in league varsity volleyball, including number one ranked Alexa Berry. But number two on that list is Sonoma’s Lola Martin, and her 13 kills last Thursday maintained her lead as the top in that category, her 161 kills far ahead of AC’s Arianna Pacheco’s 140. Campbell Rolston also had eight kills for the Dragons – she comes in fourth in the category across league play this year with 102 so far.

Junior Nicole Arguello led with four aces on serve. She also had 10 digs, behind senior libero Nelli Jimenez with 14 and just ahead of Audrey Powers who had nine. Powers and Ella Perkins, both seniors, led in setups that kept the Dragons comfortably ahead for most of the matches, though the Wolves kept it close in the third set.

Both American Canyon and Sonoma Valley now have identical 5-4 league records, but Sonoma’s Oct. 7 win over the Wolves puts them in third place, behind Justin-Siena (8-0) and Vintage (7-1).

Sonoma Valley’s last home match of the 2021 season is Tuesday against Vintage, followed by two final road games, against Casa Grande (Oct. 14) and Napa (Oct. 19). Tuesday is Senior Night, honoring Chelsea Young, Audrey Powers, Yuli Lopez, Nelli Jimenez, Ella Perkins and Campbell Rolston. JV play at 5, varsity at 6 p.m., at Pfeiffer Gym.

To purchase tickets, go to gofan.co/app/school/CA23061.