The Lady Wildcats split their final two matches of regular season volleyball and may have seen what the final rounds of the 1A state playoffs may look like in the process.
Playing in Williams on Tuesday, the Cats prevailed in three straight games: 25-20, 25-17 and 25-15. Audrey Neill led the way at the net with 9 kills. Amber Neill added 7, as did McKenzie Jesmer. The team served 11 total aces, led by Jaydiana Kinlicheenie’s 3. Shenoa Skidmore led in digs with 14. Amber Neill added 12. Tori Beatty finished with 12 assists and Raylee Fish helped with 11.
Thursday night, the team traveled to face Cicero Prep to take on the top-ranked and once-beaten Centurions. Joseph City entered that match ranked fourth, giving this a bit of a state playoff appeal.
If they do meet Cicero Prep in the playoffs, they will need to improve to advance. Cicero Prep defeated Joseph City in three straight games, although each was close. The Lady Cats dropped the first game 22-25 and they battled to a 21-25 loss in game two. The third game was a marathon with Joseph City falling 32-34.
Amber Neill and Jesmer each had 9 kills. Skidmore served 4 aces. Audrey Neill had 5 blocks. Amber Neill had 11 digs and Skidmore added 9. Beatty led the team with 17 assists.
Joseph City steamrolled its way through the 1A central tournament over the weekend, defeating Seligman 3-0, Williams 3-0, and Mogollon 3-0 in the process.
They will open the 1A state tournament as the fourth overall seed in the 16-team bracket and will host 13th-seeded Williams at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. With a win, they would advance to see either No. 5 Ash Fork or No. 12 El Capitan in the quarterfinals at 11 in the morning on Friday at Desert Mountain High School. A win in that round would put them into the semi-finals, where they would more than likely have a rematch with top-seeded Cicero Prep. That game would be played at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon, also at Desert Mountain. The state championship match will be at that same location at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
