Centaurs Spikers Push Serra to Five Sets

What started out looking like a repeat of Gardena Serra’s three-set sweep of Culver City last year turned into a hotly contested five-set girls volleyball match Tuesday, but in the end the Centaurs lost on their home floor.

“I thought we played really well and got more confident as the match progressed," said Centaurs senior middle blocker Tiara Wallace, who had a match-high 16 kills to go along with five blocks. “Had we came in more energized early on, I think, we would have done much better.”

The Centaurs (0-3-1) lost the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-14, but found their groove in the third game and matched Serra point for point. With the score tied 18-18, Culver City used a mini-spurt to win 25-22, extending the match to a fourth set.

Playing with renewed vigor and intensity, Culver City stayed with the Cavaliers (4-2) until falling behind 14-11. Then, sophomore Ashanti Stewart came off the bench and gave the team a lift with a 10-point serving run to give the Centaurs a 21-14 lead and they went on to win the set 25-19 to force a fifth and deciding set.

“We have to keep playing tough and never give up, all the way to the end of the match," Centaurs senior middle-blocker Simone Jackson said. "We will learn from our mistakes.”

Knowing the last set was only up to 15 points, both teams tried to seize momentum right away, but neither could. The score see-sawed back and forth with long rallies and exciting saves on both sides. With the score knotted at 7-7, the Cavaliers took control and pulled away to win the set 15-11 and take the match.

The Centaurs finished with 16 aces, but they were nullified by 19 service errors.

“Serra’s a good team," said Christopher Fraijo, the Centaurs' third head coach in as many seasons. "They’re very active and have always been a challenge for us. The girls came out ready to play, but we came up a little short. Our serving killed us.”

Culver City opened the season last Saturday at the Burbank Tournament where it lost to Paraclete 2-0, tied Burbank 1-1 and lost to Village Christian 1-0.

“We missed some blocking assignments that left seams open in our defense," Culver City assistant coach Jeremy Gambol said. "We have a tall front line and we need to be more effective with our blocking.”

Sophomore outside hitter Ashanti Stewart served five aces and senior setter Torrey Mitsunaga had 24 assists and four aces for Culver City, which was coached by Jessica Parel last year and Leilani Kamahoahoa the year before.

“We need to work on our intensity," said Centaurs junior libero Mychelle Hale, who had 13 digs. "Coming out with intensity at the beginning of each match is really important.”

The Centaurs hit the road Thursday for a nonleague match at St. Bernard in Playa del Rey.

1

2

3

4

5

Final

Serra

25

25

22

19

15

3

Culver City

18

14

25

25

11

2