Preseason action continued to keep Lady Cougar volleyball players on the go this past week, all playing multiple matches.

The varsity girls went 2-1 for the week.

They played at Tracy and won there in straight sets, 25-20, 25-18, 25-16.

“Lisa Murga did well in the front row on both offense and defense, getting four blocks and eight kills,” said head coach Shay Beam. “Sophia Martin had six kills, two blocks and five digs. Macie Vickers is doing well in the back row with 17 digs, setter Karisa McNeil had 10 digs and 15 assists.”

An Aug. 30 match put Escalon up against Orestimba, hosting the Warriors, and they got that win in a sweep as well, 25-17, 25-23, 25-17.

“This match was a little slower than I would have liked and I thought our varsity team could have played with a little more vigor but they still got the job done in three matches,” Beam said.

Leaders were outsides Chloe Fraser with nine kills, Martin with eight; setters McNeil and Aniston Hunt did a good job spreading the ball to all of the hitters. McNeil had 21 assists; Hunt added 10. Vickers and Kendra Gwartney continued to lead the back row; Vickers had 18 digs, Gwartney had 11.

Thursday night, Escalon welcomed Ripon Christian in to the gym and fell in three, losing 14-25, 18-25, 17-25.

“We knew it would be a tough match,” Beam said. “I don’t know about the girls but I like playing tough teams and think it better prepares us for league.”

The coach noted that RC had some “great players” and her squad was a little too tentative at times against the visitors.

For the junior varsity girls, they lost to Tracy on Aug. 29 in three, winning the first 25-19 before dropping the next two, 21-25, 6-25.

Against Orestimba on the home court, the girls crafted a straight sets win, 25-9, 25-9 and then closed out the week against Ripon Christian. Games were tough and close, with Escalon taking the loss in two, 21-25, 16-25.

Coaches note that the JV girls are “growing and improving every day” and are working hard on playing as a team.

Freshman action saw the girls fall to Tracy, 22-25, 22-25 in a very competitive match, highlighted by six aces from Violet Da Silva. They did not have a match against Orestimba but came back to face Ripon Christian and again battled but fell short, 19-25, 23-25. Arianna Velasco had three kills and 11 digs.

The young squad continues to work on communication skills on the court as they get ready for league play.