Lady Raiders volleyball team rides seven-game win streak to seventh place in 1A standings

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
After opening the 2024 season with two losses, the Whitehorse High School volleyball team put together a seven-game winning streak before losing three of four in a tough past week.
The Lady Raiders are 8-5 on the season, ranked seventh in the most recent 1A RPI standings. On Tuesday, September 17 they cruised past Shiprock Northwest in straight sets 25-17, 25-21, and 25-12.
Katiana Ben and Keira Chee led the Whitehorse attack with eight kills apiece. Kayla Mitchell and Alyssa Eltsosie served up two aces each. Mitchell had three blocks while Ben and Keira Little collected two each in the win.
The next night the Lady Raiders returned home to host Region 19 rival Green River, handling the Lady Pirates easily in straight sets 25-6, 25-11, and 25-17.
Chee had eight kills again with Ben hitting five in the win. Chee served six aces while Eltsosie and Ben got five apiece. And Ben registered one block.
In their third straight shutout win Whitehorse took down the Pinnacle Lady Panthers in another Region 19 match this past Friday, September 20 25-4, 25-19, and 25-23.
Chee again led the team with seven kills while Ben tallied five. Chee also served up an impressive 15 aces in the win with Ben serving six. Little led with four blocks, Chee got one, and Kelaigha Nakai had three digs on the night.
The Lady Raiders traveled to Teec Nos Pos, AZ on Monday, September 23 where they outlasted the Red Mesa Lady Redskins in a hard-fought battle that went the full five-set distance.
Red Mesa drew first blood, taking the opening set 25-23. Whitehorse rallied to take set two 25-18. But Red Mesa came right back at the Lady Raiders, winning the third set 25-22.
Whitehorse once again tied the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth set and completed their comeback with a 15-10 win in the fifth.
The team’s winning streak came to an end with a tough straight-sets loss to rival Monticello on Tuesday, September 24.
Ben and Chee had five kills each in the loss. Nakai and Komina Mike collected two aces apiece. Little had four blocks and Ben had two. And five players got one dig each: Malia Sam, Lakyara Begay, Rhonetta Hill, Chee, and Shayla Miller.
This past Friday and Saturday, September 27-28 the Lady Raiders traveled to Rehoboth, NM to play in the Rehoboth Christian Tournament. They went 1-2 with a win over Shiprock Northwest and losses to Pine Hill and Newcomb.
Whitehorse isn’t scheduled to play again until October 15 when they travel to close out their season series with the Monticello Lady Buckaroos.