Thursday, 24 October 2013
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| Chyanne Thomas & Brittany Bolusan celebrate the win. |
After a seemingly endless string of close 5-set losses this season the Lompoc Braves Girls Volleyball finally broke through with a 3-1 win over the Morro Bay Pirates. Apparently the key is to just win the darn thing in 4 sets.
Elsewhere the Cabrillo Conquistadors crushed Nipomo in tennis, had the favor returned by Mission College Prep in volleyball, and sent the frosh football team up to San Luis Obispo.
Girls Volleyball
The Lompoc upset of Morro Bay was not the only one of species to appear Thursday evening. The Nipomo Titans also knocked off the visiting Templeton Eagles. In other action Mission Prep thumped Cabrillo 3-0 & Santa Ynez stayed undefeated in LPL play with a 3-0 win over Santa Maria.
Morro Bay at Lompoc (at Bryan Ayer Court, Paisola Pavilion)
Lompoc 3, Morro Bay 1
[23-25, 25-11, 26-24, 25-8]
The Braves did three things Thursday that they haven't done much this season, especially at the same time - play consistently, finish strong and win.
Although he thought that the girls played better in a pair of road losses earlier in the year, Head Coach Aaron Batulla was willing to concede that this was the biggest win of his stint at the head of the Lompoc program. This time, he said "They kept their focus, and kept it down the stretch."
Several times this year Lompoc had opportunities to secure wins late in games, but surrendered leads, including a particularly galling 5th set loss to St Joseph. The Braves were with-in a few points of victory, but "gave up the last nine points of the game."
There was none of that Thursday, as the young Lompoc squad continues to mature. They were calm, poised, and efficient. When down, they simply did what was necessary to rally, while the Pirates in unusual fashion grew flustered and confused.
Game 1: That, however was not the way the evening started. The Braves sent the opening serve into the middle of the net, and the Pirates reeled off a quick 7 points. For prior iterations of Lompoc teams that would have signaled a blowout loss and everyone getting to dinner early. Not. Tonight.
Lompoc climbed off the floor and got back in the game, but still trailed by 7 (21-14) after a mini-surge by the Pirates. Batula called a time-out, and Lompoc took the next 5 points. MB Head Coach James Bueno took his own TO, leading to another scoring spurt by the visitors.
They went up 23-19, then led 24-21, but Lompoc kept coming. With a chance to tie it at 24, a slightly errant Lompoc pass led to a net violation. Another 'close, but no cee-gar' moment for the Braves, but it would be their last real crunch-time bobble of the night.
Game 2: Lompoc took the initial pair of points, on the Western 'good side' of the court, but the Pirates tied it at 4 apiece. After that it was all Braves. Bueno tried to halt the proceedings, but had used both his times out by the 11-5 mark. Lompoc just systematically dismantled MB for an easy 25-11 win.
Game 3: A rather see-saw affair. Each side had surges early, but it was a duel in crunch time. After an early lead, the Braves fell behind 7-3. Lompoc called time, and then reeled off 8 points in a row. MB fought back to a 12 all tie, but the Braves pushed it back to a 3 point margin.
The Pirates tied it again at 18, and that's when it got really interesting. There would be 6 more ties the rest of the way - at 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24. When a kill went long, but was ruled to have been touched by Lompoc, Morro Bay had a game point chance at 24-23. But on the next point, there was confusion amonst the Pirate defense and voila - tied at 24. A Chyanne Thomas kill put the Braves back up, and Morro Bay sent another kill attempt just long. No Touch. Game Lompoc.
Game 4: Lompoc zipped out to a 7-2 lead, and after dueling times out, were still up 7-4. A Brittany Bolusan kill put the Braves up 9-5 & sent Heidi Chavez to the line, where she served 7 consecutive points. After her 2nd ace of the string, MB called its last time out. It was to no avail, Lompoc would out-score them 9-3 the rest of the way.
Braves [4-12, 3-7]: Chyanne Thomas 15 kills, 9 digs; Heidi Chavez 8 digs, 4 aces, 2 kills; Chrissnay Brown 5 kills; Lexie Barbosa 31 assists, 2 aces; Becca Davis 9 digs.
Pirates [10-13, 4-6]: No Individual Stat Information Provided.
Sierra Emrick had a really good game on the line with a multitude of kills and blocks. Sybella Paredes also played well in the front row.
Junior Varsity
Morro Bay 2, Lompoc 1
[20-25, 25-21, 15-10]
Substitute Morro Bay Coach Sandra Thomas, serving en lieu of Lauren Favela, brought in a Pirate team that was without three players, but was fairly certain that they would win. That belief would be tested but ultimately prove true.
Lompoc opened the match with a service error, and Morro Bay led 7-3 when Ramona Thomas called a TO for the Braves. That helped reverse the decline and Lompoc crawled back into a 13 all tie. At that point, the MB Thomas tried to kill the Lompoc momentum with a time out of her own, but the Braves kept rolling to a 20-15 advantage. Sandra called her 2nd TO, and the teams generally traded points the rest of the game. 25-21 Lompoc.
Game 2 opened with a service error, and MB led 7-3 when Monie called time out for the Braves. This time the error was on the Pirates, and Lompoc caught up more quickly forcing ties at 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 & 13, but could never get in front. Morro Bay forged ahead, extending the lead to 23-14 before the Braves got untracked. Aided by excellent serving from Cheyenne Marmalejo, they made the Pirates a bit nervous by scoring 7 of the next 8 points while fending off 3 set points, before MB was finally able to close them out.
The Braves were able ease out to a 8-4 lead when the Pirates got a side-out and sent Keana Alden to the line. She served 6 straight points. Lompoc finally got the ball back, but immediately returned it. There was skosh more back and forth, but the end result was a 15-10 Pirate win.
Freshmen
Morro Bay 2, Lompoc 0
[25-15, 26-24]
Lompoc stayed with the Pirates for a bit in Game 1, taking a small lead early and earning ties at 5 & 6 points, but the Morro Bay stepped on the gas and was gone.
Lompoc started Game 2 with 3 straight points, but faltered and the Pirates tied the game at 6 all. There were further ties at 7 & 8 before Lompoc began to slip away. The margin was 4, before the Pirates began to whittle it down, forcing tie scores at 19 and 20 points.
There followed a period of alternating leads and ties that saw the Pirates reach game point at 24-21, but the Braves managed to tie the game back up at 24-24. The last two points followed themes that had been woven throughout the fabric of the contest - Lompoc finding the net with either bodies or the ball and Morro Ball getting rollers & tractor shots to fall.
Cabrillo at Mission Prep
MCP 3, Cabrillo 0
[25-10, 25-15, 25-23]
Royals [11-3]: Rachel Hindmarsh 7 kills; Tessa Boone 6 kills; Claire Bachman 17 digs, 4 aces.
Conqs [3-16, 3-6]: No Individual Stat Information Provided Yet.
Other LPL Teams
at Santa Maria’s Wilson Gym
Santa Ynez 3, Santa Maria 0
[25-11, 25-8, 25-20]
Pirates [14-4, 9-0]: Jivka Grozeva 6 kills; Taylor Pilcher 14 service points, 4 aces (all first set); Heather Caughell 5 service points, three digs, 1 kill (2nd set).
Saints [2-10, 0-9]: Danessa Bagasol 5 digs, 2 aces; Aide Guerrero 3 kills; Vanessa Valencia 2 kills.
at Nipomo 3, Templeton 2
(25-17, 20-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-10)
Templeton hurt themselves with service errors in the 5th set and cost the squad a shot at 1st place in the LPL in their final match against Santa Ynez next Thursday
Eagles [13-3, 8-2]: Autumn Russell 20 kills, 19 serve receptions; Mari Stewart 12 kills, 19 serve receptions; Josi Kelly 22 assists, 12 digs; Marissa Torres 38 digs; Julie Cates 21 serve receptions; Cecilia Mazzarotto 13 assists; Lauren Ralton 6 kills.
Nipomo [8-9, 6-3]: Sam Baker 15 kills, 26 digs; Megan Penaflor 28 assists; Taylor Nevitt 8 kills; Gwen Menane 3 blocks.
LPL Girls Tennis
Lompoc had the BYE. Cabrillo thumped the Titans, Santa Ynez wrapped up another LPL Title, and Morro Bay and Santa Maria played a classic.
Nipomo vs Cabrillo
Cabrillo 17, Nipomo 1
The Conquistadores received sweeps from Rikky Patel (a triple doughnut), Kaeli Jones who included a 7-6 [7-2] tie breaker among her 3 set victories, and all three doubles duos.
Cabrillo doubles allowed the Titans only 15 games - Issy Sherman & Olivia Gore (5), Ashley Ledgerwood & Maddie McDonough (6), Sydney Townes & Krista Trigueiro (4).
Kelly Springford took the only point for Nipomo and forced the tie-breaker versus Jones.
Conquistadores [9-2 LPL]:
Singles [8-1, 52-20] -
#1 Rikky Patel 3-0 (6-0, 6-0, 6-0)
#2 Emma Fienga 2-1 (6-2, 3-6, 6-0);
#3 Kaeli Jones 3-0 (6-4, 7-6 [7-2],6-2).
Doubles [9-0, ] -
#1 Issy Sherman-Olivia Gore 3-0 (6-0, 6-3, 6-2);
#2 Ashley Ledgerwood-Maddie McDonough 3-0 (6-3, 6-2, 6-1);
#3 Sydney Townes-Krista Trigueiro 3-0 (6-0, 6-4, 6-0).
Titans [7-9, 4-7 LPL]
Singles -
#1 Kelly Barnett 0-3 (0-6, 0-6, 0-6);
#2 Kelly Springfield 1-2 (0-6, 6-3, 6-7[2-7]);
#3 Nicole Johnson 0-3 (0-6, 0-6, 2-6).
Doubles -
#1 Maria Alcantar-Sydney Slavens 0-3 (0-6, 3-6, 0-6);
#2 Mikayla Costello-Sydney Roberts 0-3 (3-6, 2-6, 1-6);
#3 Brooke Marangl-Elleana Lopez 0-3 (0-6, 4-6, 0-6).
Junior Varsity
Cabrillo 18, Nipomo 0
Nipomo only had 8 girls available & Cabrillo substituted liberally.
No Additional Information Provided Yet.
Other LPL Teams
Santa Maria 9 (74) [10], Morro Bay 9 (74) [8]
(at the Minami Center)
Already this season the Santa Maria Saints have had quite a few close matches, including several of the 9-9 variety. Thursday they completed their LPL season by joining with the Morro Bay Pirates to take it to another level for one of the most unusual events in the sport.
At the end of regulation play the number of sets won was 9 apiece, but the number of games was also knotted at 74 each. The stalemate triggered a full round of tie-breakers. Tiebreakers are a best-of-12 game where-in the winner needs at least 7 points with a 2 point advantage.
Essentially, they replayed the entire match, except points were awarded for each game rather than each set.
The Saints were bolstered by the return from injury of their #1 Singles player Daisy Lomelli who was undefeated on the day. Santa Maria also received a crucial point in regulation when their top doubles pair, Jennifer Morales & Anahi Sanchez edged the MB #1 duo in a 7-6 [7-4 tiebreaker] set in the first round of regulation.
At #2 Doubles for Santa Maria, Leslie Huitron & Jocelyn Gil improved from 1-2 in regulation to 3-0 in the tiebreaks. #3 Singles player Jenny Gonzalez went from 1-2 to 2-1 with both victories in extra points.
Morro Bay collected 2 of 3 sets each from Skye Schwellenbach and Tess Badrigan in singles, and doubles teams Sarah Keas & June Janzen and Claire Vogel & Katrina Siems.
By the way, the next decider, "Points in Tiebreakers" was 110-104 Saints.
Saints [4-11, 2-10]:
Regulation
Singles [5-4, 40-30] -
#1 Daisy Lomeli 3-0 (6-0, 6-1, 6-2);
#2 Rosiele Angkahan 1-2 (1-6, 3-6, 6-1);
#3 Jenny Gonzalez 1-2 (3-6, 3-6, 6-2).
Doubles [4-5, 34-44] -
#1 Jennifer Morales/Anahi Sanchez 3-0 (7-6[7-4], 6-3, 6-3);
#2 Leslie Huitron/Jocelyn Gil 1-2 (4-6, 4-6, 6-2);
#3 Kim Macario/Jessica Avendano 0-3 (0-6, 0-6, 1-6).
Tiebreaks
Singles [6-3, 61-48] -
#1 Daisy Lomeli 3-0 (7-2, 7-4, 7-3);
#2 Rosiele Angkahan 1-2 (3-7, 6-8, 7-2);
#3 Jenny Gonzalez 2-1 (5-7, 10-8, 9-7).
Doubles [4-5, 49-56] -
#1 Jennifer Morales/Anahi Sanchez 1-2 (2-7, 3-7, 7-5);
#2 Leslie Huitron/Jocelyn Gil 3-0 (8-6, 7-4, 7-3);
#3 Kim Macario/Jessica Avendano 0-3 (2-7, 8-10, 5-7).
Pirates [3-12, 1-10]:
Regulation
Singles -
#1 Skye Schwellenbach (MB) 2-1 (0-6, 6-1, 6-3);
#2 Tess Badrigan (MB) 2-1 (1-6, 6-3, 6-3);
#3 Jessica Trujillo (MB) 0-3 (2-6, 1-6, 2-6).
Doubles [] -
#1 Sarah Keas/June Janzen 2-1 (6-7[4-7], 6-4, 6-0);
#2 Katrina Siems/Claire Vogel 2-1 (3-6, 6-4, 6-0);
#3 Keely Cornell/Camilla Russo 1-2 (3-6, 2-6, 6-1).
Tiebreaks
Singles -
#1 Skye Schwellenbach 2-1 (2-7, 7-3, 7-5);
#2 Tess Badrigan 1-2 (4-7, 8-6, 8-10);
#3 Jessica Trujillo 0-3 (3-7, 2-7, 7-9).
Doubles -
#1 Sarah Keas/June Janzen 2-1 (7-2, 6-8, 7-2);
#2 Katrina Siems/Claire Vogel 2-1 (7-3, 4-7, 10-8);
#3 Keely Cornell/Camilla Russo 1-2 (5-7, 3-7, 7-5).
Santa Ynez 17, at Templeton 1
Santa Ynez ho-hummed their way to their 5th unshared LPL Championship in as many years by downing the Eagles at Templeton.
The Pirates top player, but #2 Singles, Mary Kavaloski swept (18-1 in games) and #1 Bree Jensen & Reagan Mroz, likely repeat LPL champs dropped 2 games in their sweep. Santa Ynez also started a number of back-up players.
The Eagles did get some good news, though- they clinched the final (4th) automatic LPL playoff bid when Nipomo lost to Cabrillo.
Pirates [18-2, 11-0]:
Singles -
#1 Shane Sorenson 3-0 (6-1, 6-0, 7-5);
#2 Mary Kavaloski 3-0 (6-0, 6-1, 6-0);
#3 Emma Newton 1-2 (0-6, 6-1, 6-3).
Doubles -
#1 Bree Jensen/Reagan Mroz 3-0 (6-0, 6-1, 6-1);
#2 Shelby Wolf/Harlie Adams 3-0 (6-1, 6-2, 6-1);
#3 Courtney Welker/Brooke Redell 3-0 (7-6[7-3], 6-0, 6-0).
Eagles [7-6, 5-6]:
Singles -
#1 Miliaana Proft 1-2 (1-6, 0-6, 6-0);
#2 Ava Metzler 0-3 (0-6, 1-6, 1-6);
#3 Lauren Shin 0-3 (5-7, 0-6, 3-6).
Doubles -
#1 Lana Borges/Michaela Kuhleman 0-3 (0-6, 1-6, 6-7[3-7]);
#2 Ashely Barnes/Leanna Eck 0-3 (1-6, 2-6, 0-6);
#3 Payal Patel/Ajar Kerey 0-3 (1-6, 1-6, 0-6).
Upcoming Contests
Tuesday, 29 October, 2013 -
Lompoc at Templeton
Morro Bay at Cabrillo
Santa Ynez at Nipomo.
Santa Maria - LPL BYE (Hosts Coast Union)
[JVs at opposite locations]
Friday, 1 November, 2013 (9am)
LPAL Varsity Individual/Doubles Tournament
Lompoc Hosts at AHC/Minami
Football
Cabrillo at SLO [FR]
Cabrillo, SLO
No Information Provided Yet.
