WEED – Tulelake’s Lexie Greenbank was ripping aces, and hammering kill shots on the opening night of high school volleyball in Siskiyou County, as the Lady Honkers swept the Weed Lady Cougars, 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-23).

Tulelake took command of the match right from the opening of the first set. A kill by Madee Boyd put the Lady Honkers up 1-0. With the score 3-1 in favor of Tulelake, Greenbank rotated to server. By the time she was done, the Lady Honkers had rattled off eight service points, including six Greenbank aces. The score was 11-1.

Late in the first set, another Greenbank ace brought the Lady Honkers to the brink of victory, 24-11. Weed’s Osa Traylor put the celebration temporarily on ice with a block. However, Boyd nailed a kill shot to secure the set-one win, 25-12.

Tulelake led 2-1 on an ace and a kill by Gabby Rascon in the second set, when Geenbank took the serve. In a near replay of the first set, the Lady Honkers scored nine straight points with Greenbank behind the line. Michelle Rupert hammered a kill. Then, Greenbank accounted for seven of the next eight points, with a kill and six aces.

Down 24-11, Weed scored two in a row with Jeni Cheffey serving, including an ace. Rupert ended the second set with a block, giving Tulelake the 25-13 win.

It looked like the Lady Honkers were going to run away with the third set as well. The Lady Cougars, however, had other plans.

Down 21-14 and with Kaytlin Hartje serving, Weed made a 6-point run, including a kill by Kobi Mills and a pair of aces from Hartje, to close to within one point, 21-20. Kills by Cheffey and Mills tied the set, 23-23.

Tulelake responded with a kill by Rascon, and another set winning block from Rupert, 25-23.

Weed (0-1) travels to Butte Valley to take on the defending Evergreen league Champion Lady Bulldogs (0-0) on Thursday. Tulelake (1-0) plays next at University Prep (0-0) on Tuesday, September 9.

A much improved Weed junior varsity shut out the Tulelake JVs, 2-0. The first set went back and forth until Weed took control late to win 25-20. The Lady Cougars trailed 3-0 to start the second set, but controlled the set the rest of the way, winning 25-16.