South Tahoe volleyers sweep Sparks, start playoffs Friday

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The South Tahoe volleyball team won its last game of the season 3-0 over Sparks and earned the No. 3 seed from the west for the NIAA Class 3A Northern Region Girls Volleyball Playoffs that start Friday.

The Vikings beat the overmatched Railroaders 25-7, 25-14, 25-12 Friday, Oct. 29, in Sparks.

Sofia Wagner led the Vikings with 11 kills and Maiella Riva had eight.

Riva also served for 10 aces on just 17 attempts. As a team, the Vikings recorded 20 aces, nearly enough points for a full set.

Ella Long had four solo blocks, Riva had 25 digs and Alexi Haven had 23.

The Vikings will play Dayton, the No. 2 seed from the east, at 7 p.m. at Churchill County High School in Fallon. Should they win, the Vikings will play at noon Saturday against top east’s seed Fernley. The championship match is at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Vikings boys soccer finishes strong, earns No. 3 seed

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The South Tahoe boys’ soccer team finished the season strong with just one loss in its last seven games (3-1-4) to earn the No. 3 seed from the west entering the NIAA Class 3A Northern Region Boys’ Soccer Playoff.

The Vikings won their final two regular season games 3-1 over Truckee and 5-2 over Reno on Oct. 28 inthe finale.

The Vikings played the tournament host, the No. 2 seed from the east, Lowry at 1 p.m. Thursday. If they survive the first round, they would play at noon Friday against the west’s top seed McQueen.

The championship game is at 10 a.m. Saturday.

South Tahoe soccer girls hammer Sparks, No. 2 seed for playoffs

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The South Tahoe Vikings girls’ soccer team hasn’t given up a goal in more than a month and were trying to keep that streak alive when they started the playoffs on Thursday afternoon.

The Vikings (8-1-3, 6-1-2 3A North-West League, the second seed from the west, played No. 3 from the east, Churchill County.

If the Vikings prevail, they will play the top seed from the east, Spring Creek (9-0-1), at 2 p.m. Friday at Lowry High School.

The championship game is set for noon on Saturday.

The Vikings last played Thursday, Oct. 28, and came away with an 8-0 road victory over Sparks.

Mackenzie Nealis recorded a hat trick and assisted on another goal and Giulia Lancellotti added two goals to lead the Vikings.

Vikings girls’ tennis lose at state to eventual champs

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The South Tahoe girls’ tennis team enjoyed a strong season that ended last week at the state tournament in Las Vegas.

The Vikings couldn’t grab a game against The Meadows School and were eliminated Thursday, Oct. 28, in the semifinals at Liberty High School.

The Meadows went on to win the state title in dominating fashion, beating Truckee 15-3.

“It was a long bus ride to Las Vegas but well worth the fun we had,” said Vikings head coach Tracey Samoluk. “It is such an honor to represent South Lake Tahoe at the state tournament. I am so proud of the team for making it this far. We were up against the best players from Nevada and many girls start playing at a very young age and play year round.”

Samoluk praised her team for continuing to play hard despite being overmatched.

Top singles player Kiara Vazquez managed to win three games in one match and Kiera Lyons took four in another, but as coach Samoluk said, “It doesn’t always matter if you win, it is the journey and how you get there.”

The Vikings top doubles team of Erin Yamaoka and Nora Stewart went on to play Friday in the individual tournament where teams needed to win two sets to win.

The duo again faced the top team from The Meadows School and it was the same result.

“Erin and Nora played aggressive and stayed positive,” Samoluk said. “They made some incredible shots and had some amazing rallies. I could not be more proud of my entire team.”

Incline girls’ soccer starts state run Friday

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The Incline Village girls’ soccer team is hoping the third time is the charm.

The Highlanders have had a week to recover from a second straight loss to its rival North Tahoe to end the regular season.

The Highlanders (8-3) on Friday will begin the NIAA Class 2A State Soccer Championships as the No. 2 seed and will play No. 3 White Pine, a team they already defeated 2-0 earlier this season.

Kickoff is at 11 a.m. at North Tahoe Regional Park.

North Tahoe (11-0) is the top seed and the Lakers will play No. 4 Sage Ridge (4-4) at 3 p.m., who they beat 4-0 earlier this year.

If past results hold, Incline and North Tahoe could be facing each other for a third time this season at noon Saturday for the championship.

The Lakers have twice this year beaten the Highlanders 2-0.

South Tahoe’s Lehmann earns 3rd place at state tennis tourney

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — South Tahoe senior Andrew Lehmann put up a strong fight at the state tennis tournament last week and earned third place in the individual tournament.

Lehmann advanced through the first round of the NIAA Class 3A Boys Singles State Championships on Oct. 28-30 after his opponent retired late in a tight match.

Lehmann lost in the semifinals 6-4, 6-4 coming up just short in a chance to play for the crown.

In the third place match, Lehmann rallied from a set down to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Lehmann was the only player from the northern region to win an individual match at state.

In doubles, the Vikings had three teams in the bracket, including top seed Aidan Walker and Liam Molesworth, No. 3 Landon Paschal and Chris Haven and No. 4 Garrett Friederici and Kade Schauben, but all lost in the first round.

In the team tournament, the Vikings lost to the eventual champs, Boulder City Eagles, in the semifinals.

Incline boys earn No. 2 seed, play Friday morning

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The Incline Village boys’ soccer team begin the playoffs early Friday morning as the No. 2 seed against No. 3 West Wendover.

The Highlanders (3-3) had won three straight games before losing their season finale to rival North Tahoe, the top seed for the tournament.

Incline will take on West Wendover at 9 a.m. Friday at North Tahoe Regional Park.

Two out of Incline’s three losses have come at the hands of North Tahoe, including an 8-1 loss in their final game after playing the Lakers close, 3-2, in the first meeting.

Leo Flores scored Incline’s lone goal in the 8-1 loss.