Story by Ruby Foudy
Staff Writer
Photos by Zoe Chen
Staff Photographer
The South Pasadena Tigers played the Blair Vikings in a home match on Tuesday, Sept. 24. South Pasadena’s skill substantially outmatched Blair’s, which guaranteed the Tigers an easy win. Blair already knew their fate, and the Vikings did not so much as bother to take a single timeout to restrategize.
An out-of-bounds Tiger serve gained the Vikings the first point of the first set, but the energy quickly turned around from a series of kills by junior opposite hitter Senya Dorny. The only points Blair did gain were from South Pasadena mistakes, such as out-of-bounds serves. With players such as Dorny and senior outside hitter Ava Conti, the Tigers easily racked up points. This resulted in the first set lasting little over 10 minutes to reach the set point, won by a kill from Dorny. The Tigers took the set with a 20-point, 25-5 lead — their best of the season.
Six straight aces from sophomore outside hitter Bella Ventura led the second set to a strong start. The remainder of the set continued much like the first had; the Tigers maintained a nearly 10-point lead at all times. Key moments kept the Tigers’ spirit and score high, such as when freshman opposite hitter Stella Sheng executed an impressive kill after a long rally, or when an expert dig was made by Ventura. The set went to South Pasadena 25-10.
Just as the previous sets, the Tigers maintained a large lead throughout the third set. After multiple kills by sophomore outside hitter Ella Garner and Sheng, the Tigers were up 21-6 within 15 minutes.
South Pasadena then slipped and let Blair gain 8 points, but a succession of aces, courtesy of Dorny, brought the score to 25-14, a win for the Tigers.
“We’re excited to add another win to the record,” Sheng said. “Over time, we’re starting to warm up to each other, and we’re playing as a team now.”
The next game will be held at home against Monrovia on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m. The Tigers are currently ranked third in the Rio Hondo League with a 2-2 record.
