Volleyball Recap: La Junta Comes Up Short + How To Watch

After flying high against St. Mary's on Tuesday, La Junta came back down to earth. The Tigers took a 3-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Banning Lewis Academy Stallions on Thursday. While the Tigers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Stallions 25-21 in the first set.

La Junta started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The match finished with set scores of 21-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-8.

Brylee Gearhart paced La Junta's offense, picking up seven kills. Gearhart got some help from Gabrielle Ojeda and her 21 assists. Brooklyn Lovato controlled things from the service line, finishing with two aces.

Banning Lewis Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kaelyn Atencio led the charge by getting 22 assists and seven digs. Those 22 assists gave Atencio a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lucy Engberg, who had 13 digs and two aces.

La Junta dropped their record down to 7-9 with the loss, which was their third straight at home. As for Banning Lewis Academy, their win ended a three-match drought on the road and puts them at 11-6.

We've got plenty of inter-league action coming up soon. La Junta is set to take on their familiar foe James Irwin at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Meanwhile, Banning Lewis Academy will square off against rival Florence at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.