Greenville’s volleyball team jumps for joy after beating Maxwell in the playoffs Nov. 13. Photo by Scott Nordstrom

  The Greenville Indians’ volleyball team played two playoff matches last week. Greenville beat Maxwell on Nov. 13 in four games to reach the semi-finals.

  The Indians then lost two nights later in a three-game match to Liberty Christian to crush the Indians’ dreams of advancing to the Division VI championship.

  This was the first time in more than 15 years the Indians made it to the semi-finals. Greenville had a two-week break before its game against Maxwell.

  Both matches took place in Greenville, which was seeded third in the division. Maxwell was the No. 6 seed and Liberty Christian the No. 10 seed.

  Greenville and Maxwell matched up pretty evenly, which forced Greenville to fight for its victory.

  “The girls played phenomenally,” said Greenville’s coach, Dan Brown. “They played like I knew they could play. The team communicated with one another and played as a team.”

  Brown went on to praise the Indians’ mental attitude throughout the match.

  Greenville took the first game in a close 25-23 victory. Maxwell came back and won the second game 25-19. The third game resembled the first with Greenville winning 25-23. In the fourth game, Greenville put an end to the match with a 25-18 victory.

  Alicia Missman led the team in attacking with 15 kills. Jacky Dery added 10 more for the Indians. In serving, Trinity Lincoln and Dery both had five aces. Brianna Ray contributed four aces to the team’s win. Ray led the team in setting with 15 assists.

  Kashira Deal led the Indians’ defense with nine digs. Missman was right behind Deal to add seven digs. Missman also received the most serves: 23 of the team’s 51.

  “Their heads were in the game from the first whistle to the very last whistle, said Brown. “The result was a victory.”

  The Indians’ game against Liberty Christian, however, did not go as smoothly. Liberty Christian beat Greenville in a quick three-game match. Liberty Christian won the first game 25-23, the second 25-17 and the third 25-13.

  “Our team mentally broke down,” said Brown. “That is very difficult to coach and it happens occasionally with youth. That was the team’s biggest nemesis.”

  Liberty Christian was seeded in the 10th spot while Greenville was in the third spot. However, Liberty Christian is in the Five Star league with powerhouse teams like Mercy and Redding Christian.

  “The game was educating for me in terms of seeding,” said Brown. “Liberty Christian was more than capable of exceeding their No. 10 seed. They beat the No. 2 seed, Princeton, to get to us.”

  Despite its loss in the semi-finals, Greenville played better this year than it has in years. Part of Greenville’s success is due to its volleyball program that starts in the sixth grade.

  Greenville’s junior high is involved in a volleyball league based in Susanville. Sixth-graders are welcome to join the league as well.

  The program gets players involved in the sport at an early age. Once players are exposed to the game, they begin learning fundamentals.

  “By the time they are freshmen,” said Brown, “we can really start working on the offensive and defensive skills and running the systems. That is what made this program so successful.”

James Wilson

Sports Reporter

sports@plumasnews.com

  The Greenville Indians’ volleyball team played two playoff matches last week. Greenville beat Maxwell on Nov. 13 in four games to reach the semi-finals.

  The Indians then lost two nights later in a three-game match to Liberty Christian to crush the Indians’ dreams of advancing to the Division VI championship.

  This was the first time in more than 15 years the Indians made it to the semi-finals. Greenville had a two-week break before its game against Maxwell.

  Both matches took place in Greenville, which was seeded third in the division. Maxwell was the No. 6 seed and Liberty Christian the No. 10 seed.

  Greenville and Maxwell matched up pretty evenly, which forced Greenville to fight for its victory.

  “The girls played phenomenally,” said Greenville’s coach, Dan Brown. “They played like I knew they could play. The team communicated with one another and played as a team.”

  Brown went on to praise the Indians’ mental attitude throughout the match.

  Greenville took the first game in a close 25-23 victory. Maxwell came back and won the second game 25-19. The third game resembled the first with Greenville winning 25-23. In the fourth game, Greenville put an end to the match with a 25-18 victory.

  Alicia Missman led the team in attacking with 15 kills. Jacky Dery added 10 more for the Indians. In serving, Trinity Lincoln and Dery both had five aces. Brianna Ray contributed four aces to the team’s win. Ray led the team in setting with 15 assists.

  Kashira Deal led the Indians’ defense with nine digs. Missman was right behind Deal to add seven digs. Missman also received the most serves: 23 of the team’s 51.

  “Their heads were in the game from the first whistle to the very last whistle, said Brown. “The result was a victory.”

  The Indians’ game against Liberty Christian, however, did not go as smoothly. Liberty Christian beat Greenville in a quick three-game match. Liberty Christian won the first game 25-23, the second 25-17 and the third 25-13.

  “Our team mentally broke down,” said Brown. “That is very difficult to coach and it happens occasionally with youth. That was the team’s biggest nemesis.”

  Liberty Christian was seeded in the 10th spot while Greenville was in the third spot. However, Liberty Christian is in the Five Star league with powerhouse teams like Mercy and Redding Christian.

  “The game was educating for me in terms of seeding,” said Brown. “Liberty Christian was more than capable of exceeding their No. 10 seed. They beat the No. 2 seed, Princeton, to get to us.”

  Despite its loss in the semi-finals, Greenville played better this year than it has in years. Part of Greenville’s success is due to its volleyball program that starts in the sixth grade.

  Greenville’s junior high is involved in a volleyball league based in Susanville. Sixth-graders are welcome to join the league as well.

  The program gets players involved in the sport at an early age. Once players are exposed to the game, they begin learning fundamentals.

  “By the time they are freshmen,” said Brown, “we can really start working on the offensive and defensive skills and running the systems. That is what made this program so successful.”