Lady Tigers split volleyball conference

The Lady Tigers split their conference volleyball matches last week as they outpaced Columbia but fell to Skyview at Lloyd Schiller Gymnasium.

Mountain Home 3, Columbia 1

The Lady Tigers bounced back from an opening game loss to win three straight Sept. 7 to pound Columbia 3-1 in conference volleyball.

In the first outing, neither team seemed to play with a winning determination with the lead going back and forth until Columbia broke out from a 12-point tie to take the lead for a 25-20 win.

The second game tended to mirror the first with the lead switching hands several times before Mountain Home shoot out from a 19-point tie -- the ninth of the game -- to take a 23-19 lead before they scored two more points for the 25-23 victory.

After taking a 1-0 lead early in the third game, the Lady Tigers fell behind to trail 24-20 before battling back for a 27-25 win. Riding the momentum of the come-back win in game three, the Lady Tigers jumped out to a commanding 6-0 lead and never looked back for a 25-16 victory to take the best-of-four match.

Mountain Home Lady Tigers volleyball coach Rachele Asbury said last week's win proved her team's ability to battle back against the odds.

"We had tons of missed serves, and that's what made the game way too close," she said. "In the last two games, we only had one or two missed serves, so that was a big key for us."

Dylan Dean was 16-for-18 on serves with three aces, seven kills and 29 assists to lead the Lady Tigers. Krissy Elliott was 13-for-16 on serves with five aces while Jessica Liercke had nine kills, Jacci Cristobal had six kills and Hailey Belt had two kills as part of Mountain Home's winning effort.

Other top players for Mountain Home included Brittany Ryan, who went 15-for-18 on serves with two aces and 31 digs. Stephanie Jewell was 23-for-26 on serves with three aces while Dakota Dean finished the evening at 11-for-12 on serves with an ace and three kills while and Emilee Schetzle went five-for-six on serves with four kills and a block.

Skyview 3, Mountain Home 0

Coming to Mountain Home undefeated in SIC 4A conference play, Skyview continued to dominate the court as they shut out the Lady Tigers in three straight games Thursday night.

Skyview pulled away to win the first game, 25-15. The girls from Skyview continued to maintain their control of the court, taking a 25-10 win in the second game and wrapped up the match with a 25-13 win.

Dylan Dean finished the evening at six-for-six on serving with one kill, one block and 10 assists to lead the Lady Tigers. Krissy Elliott also went six-for-six on serves while Jessica Liercke had two blocks and four kills and Hailey Belt had two kills for Mountain Home.

Meanwhile, Brittany Ryan was four-for-five on serves with 13 digs, Stephanie Jewell was six-for-seven on serving and Dakota Dean was four-for-five on serves with two kills. Jacci Cristobal had a block and a kill, and Emilee Schetzle had three kills and a block.

"Skyview has a 5-0 record, and they just don't make mistakes," said Coach Asbury. "They are disciplined and well coached.

Twin Falls Invitational results

The Lady Tigers traveled to eastern Idaho on Saturday to participate in the Twin Falls Invitational. The morning action featured pool play where teams played two games to 21 points or a 45-minute time limit, whichever came first.

Mountain Home opened against Filer and fell in 12-21 and 17-21 contests. The Lady Tigers then split with Jerome, winning the first game 21-19 and losing the second game, 11-21. The girls also split with Fruitland with an 11-21 first-game loss only to rebound to win the second, 21-17.

In the single elimination bracket tournament, Mountain Home lost in three to Camas County, winning the first game 25-13, dropping the second game 24-26, and losing the third and deciding game, 7-15.

Dylan Dean was six-for-seven on serving against Camas County with three aces, four assists, two blocks and a kill. Krissy Elliott was 11-for-12 on serves with three aces, a kill and six digs.

Meanwhile, Brittany Ryan finished the weekend at three-for-six on serves with an ace and 12 digs. Stephanie Jewell was 10-for-12 on serves with two kills while Dakota Dean was six-for-eight at the serving line with two aces and three kills. Other significant players included Emilee Schetzle with two aces and a kill and Hailey Belt with four kills.