Volleyball Recap: Deer Valley Comes Up Short Despite Mikaila Balingit's Strong Performance

By Team Reports Sep 18, 2024, 12:32pm

Volleyball Recap: Deer Valley Wolverines vs. Liberty Lions

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Deer Valley was the 3-1 winner over Liberty when they last played one another back in October of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. The Deer Valley Wolverines fell just short of the Liberty Lions by a score of 3-2 on Tuesday. The Wolverines have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Deer Valley took Liberty into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking two-point loss. The final score came out to 25-12, 25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 15-13.

When it comes to explaining why Deer Valley lost, don't look at Mikaila Balingit. Despite the final result, she had five aces and 29 assists. Balingit has been hot recently, having posted 16 or more assists the last three times she's played.

Even though they lost, Deer Valley was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 12 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least nine aces in three consecutive matches.

Liberty found their leader in underclassman Kirsten Acuna, who had nine digs and two aces.

Deer Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 4-8. As for Liberty, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 5-6.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Deer Valley will take on Pittsburg at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday. Deer Valley is facing Pittsburg at the right time seeing as Pittsburg is stuck on a 12-game losing streak. As for Liberty, they will challenge Heritage at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

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