Story by Zoe Chen
Sports Editor
Photos by Mac Shropshire
Staff Photographer
The South Pasadena Tigers emerged victorious over the Tustin Tillers in their first round of CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs.
“I’m proud, happy,” Assistant Coach Kenneth Carter said. “Honestly, I want this team to do so well because, after the team we had last year, this team has been kind of looked down upon, and now I’m just so happy that they get a chance to really prove themselves. We can still do everything that we know how to do, and we can do it well.”
South Pasadena started off on the wrong foot and struggled to find their ground through the first half of the first set. Players collided while attempting to dig the ball or jumped too late multiple times. Still, South Pasadena put up a decent offense. Freshman setter Kayla Yau’s quick set to senior middle hitter Kayla Boozer put the Tigers two points behind the Tillers, with a score of 4-2. A similar set to junior middle hitter Senya Dorny brought the Tigers to 10-5, five points behind the Tillers.
The Tigers could tell their defense was lacking and took the first timeout of the game. However, the following rallies did not yield the game-changing comeback South Pasadena had been hoping for. Consistent out-of-bounds serves from South Pasadena and pockets of open court allowed the Tillers’ score to tick higher and higher. Sophomore defensive specialist Ella Garner’s digs saved South Pasadena on multiple occasions, but a lack of coordination between the Tigers’ first and third contacts proved to be a major weakness. The team scrambled each rally to return the ball over the net.
Down 16-6, Boozer took advantage of her 6’2” stature and reached over the net to down a Tustin set before it could be returned. This was exactly the response South Pasadena had been waiting for — over the course of the next few minutes, the Tigers gained 13 points while the Tillers gained only three.
Boozer attacked twice more, lessening the gap to 17-9. A powerful but controlled kill from sophomore opposite hitter Evan Taylor brought the score to 18-12. Dorny and Yau took advantage of the element of surprise and utilized quick sets to put the Tigers within a point of the Tillers at 19-18. A block from Dorny tied the teams at last, and another middle attack edged South Pasadena into the lead at 21-19.
The Tigers continued to climb. A tip followed by a cross-court kill from Taylor gave South Pasadena the 25-22 lead they needed to take the first set.
The momentum from the Tigers’ first set win did not carry over into the second. Their coordination was often spotty and their passes uncontrolled; South Pasadena was down 10-5 after failing to block or dig four Tustin attacks. The Tigers took a timeout.
An ace from Taylor and two kills from Dorny pushed the Tigers to within four points of the Tillers, but other out-of-bounds passes widened the gap again. Tustin gained points not from their own offense, but from errors on South Pasadena’s end. The Tigers were unable to muster up the comeback they had achieved in the previous set and fell 25-18 to the Tillers. The match was tied 1-1.
Tustin began the third set on a sour note with a netted serve. South Pasadena sensed the energy shift in their own favor and took a quick lead. Three aces from Yau brought the Tigers up 6-3.
“I think the conversations we had in the huddles during the timeouts and in between sets just helped us realize how much we love each other, how much we want to play for each other, and how we just want to go out there and try our best for each other,” Dorny said.
Tustin’s libero carried the Tillers with controlled digs that should have been easily settable. However, the team’s offense fell short. A quick set from Yau to Boozer flew down almost vertically onto the Tillers’ court. A strong middle attack from Boozer, along with Tustin slip-ups, left the Tigers with a blazing 19-9 lead.
South Pasadena, anticipating a set win, dropped their guard too early. Tustin stepped up their game with attacks that Tiger blockers did little to prevent. Multiple uncontrolled, just-barely-in-bounds Tiller attacks contributed to Tustin’s rapid point gain. Nonetheless, a set from Yau across the court set Taylor up to perform a perfect outside attack. The set closed 25-21. The match was 2-1.
Rallies were drawn out for longer periods of time in the fourth set, and the ball often went over the net five to 10 times. The fourth set was more polished; each team, although South Pasadena in particular, played refreshingly clean volleyball.
Garner executed a smooth tip to put the Tigers in front 3-2 — a notable move for a defensive specialist. Senior outside hitter Ava Conti launched multiple attacks to Tustin’s back row that even the Tillers’ skilled libero could not dig. Tustin responded with well-placed blocks that rebounded the force of Conti’s attacks onto South Pasadena’s own court. The score was 7-6.
South Pasadena took the lead when Dorny reentered the rotation. Five powerful kills from Dorny in five consecutive rallies put the Tigers up 12-7. Two quick attacks by Boozer, 17-11, intimidated Tustin into a timeout.
The Tigers did not waver. Another near-vertical kill from Boozer, assisted by Yau, combined with an attack by Taylor to Tustin’s back court, brought the Tigers’ lead to 24-18. A final out-of-bounds dig by the Tillers’ back row defense closed the game 25-18. South Pasadena won 3-1.
“This whole game was just really great,” Dorny said. “[I was] just honoring my seniors by trying my best out there, trying my best to win our game so our season can be longer and longer, and I’m just motivated by the people around me.” Dorny was recognized as SPHS’s October Athlete of the Month.
Volleyball played Norwalk High School on Saturday, Oct. 26 for their second-round matchup. The Tigers won in four sets, qualifying them for the quarter final. The match will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. on South Pasadena’s home court.
