By Marion Wood
Staff Writer
Photos by Jenny Luo
The South Pasadena High School girls’ volleyball team swept the San Marino Titans in three straight sets on Tuesday, October 21, defeating their rivals for the second time this season.
The Tigers came out strong, despite the first set being tied throughout. Energy was lacking on both sides of the court until the Tigers eventually pulled ahead to bring the set to completion, 25-22.
“I think that we played well generally, but our serve receive definitely needed work, especially in the first set,” senior Rowan Leddy said. “We also need to start running different plays with teams that are not up to our level.”
In the second set, the Tigers improved significantly, especially in serve receive. The team’s consistent passing and high energy level helped elevate them to a dominant 25-14 win.
The momentum South Pasadena had built up carried on into the beginning of the third set, which started with a 13-4 Tiger lead. The gap between scores gave the team some insurance, prompting South Pasadena head coach Ben Diaz to experiment with new players and rotations. Freshman Maddie Saito and junior Taleen Mitchell had especially notable performances, both contributing to the fearsome Tiger offense.
“Today, we had some people who normally don’t play on the court, and they definitely brought a spark to our dynamic,” senior Sophia Hathaway said. “They all played really well.”
The third and final set was ended with a powerful kill from middle blocker Shanovi Bass to put the Tigers up 25-15. The Tigers have now won their last two meetings with the Titans, and have taken six out of seven sets played between the two teams this season.
“This was just another game to add to our record,” added Leddy. “We’re still undefeated in league, and hopefully we can regain that title from last year.”
The Tigers are feeling optimistic about their chances for the league title. They hope to prove this in their next home match against Monrovia High School on October 23rd at 3:30 pm. The last time the two teams met marked one of the most frenzied games the team has played, ending with a five-set Tigers victory.
