Butte sweeps Folsom Lake, Los Medanos in home debut

The Roadrunners first downed previously unbeaten Folsom Lake 26-24, 25-23, 26-24 before doing the same to Los Medanos 25-22, 25-21, 25-19 on Wednesday night.

Folsom Lake swept Los Medanos (3-7) in between Butte's matches that saw the Roadrunners run their winning streak to four and move above .500 on the season at 5-4.

Butte coach Dave Davis has gathered a lot of talent from across the north state for this year's roster, and much of it was on display Wednesday.

Pleasant Valley High graduate Brianna Souza had 11 kills in the nightcap against Los Medanos. Kristina Joyce, a 2015 PV grad, made 35 assists. Jessica Curl from Mercy High had three blocks and five kills while Hamilton's Jamie Engel led with 14 digs.

Marissa Weber added seven kills as she continues her way back from a back injury that sidelined her earlier in the season. The Shasta High grad is one of three sophomores on a team heavily populated by freshmen. She had 12 kills and 12 digs in the first match.

"It gives us some leadership and it gives some of that person who's been there and done that," Davis said. "You can tell it relaxes everybody and everybody has stepped up and started playing better."

After a slow start, the Roadrunners rallied against Folsom Lake. They cut a deficit down to 17-16 before trailing at 22-17. A Curl kill drew the Roadrunners within three, and a Souza kill tied it at 24. Moments later, Souza slammed home the winner.

"She's really, really good. We're lucky to have her," Curl said.

The second set was a seesaw affair of big runs. Butte led 13-8 and extended the margin to nine before a 14-2 Falcons spurt gave the guests a 22-19 advantage.

A Joyce ace tied it at 22, and the Roadrunners were aiming for a sweep soon after.

Folsom and Butte exchanged leads in the early going in the third set without either pulling away. A 16-13 lead for Folsom Lake shrank even more as Baylie Larson, a Durham grad, served an ace that made it 16-15.

Two late miscues from the Falcons — an attack into the net and a serve there, too — had Butte at match point.