Ray volleyball off to Region 8 Tournament

By Erica Kingston

RAY N.D. — On Monday, the Ray Jays volleyball team went 3-1 against Powers Lake - Burke Central to take the win at the Class B District 16 tournament in Kenmare, N.D.

Ray has earned a spot in the Class B Region 6 games where they will play against Williston’s Trinity Christian on Nov. 6 at Williston State College.

“I feel that we really came together as a team and played as one unit,” head coach Angie Cancade said. “The girls showed they had some grit and took advantage of some key momentum swings when it mattered to come out on top.”

The Jays had an impressive 30 collective kills throughout the night, led by Myia Knox with 11. Knox had an ACL tear last year and has only been back playing for one month. The Jay’s serving was on point with only five missed serves, while dropping 13 aces over the net, with five by Brinlee Cancade alone.

With 11 wins and 17 losses for the season, Cancade said their season has been one of ups and downs with some wins they didn’t think they’d take and some upsetting losses.

“I think we have learned from all of it and have a much better team as a whole this season,” Cancade said. “These girls really enjoy each other’s company on and off the court and that can make all the difference.”

Ray will take on Williston Trinity Christian for their first game of the Region 8 tournament at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 at Williston State College. The two teams have matched up twice this season, resulting in a split at the NWC tournament and a 3-0 win for Ray during the regular season.

“(Trinity Christian is) a team that doesn’t just give up and is very scrappy,” Cancade said. “They have pretty solid defense and my girls are going to have to be very aggressive to pull off the win.”