By Riley Segal
Staff Writer
Photos by Matt Scholtz
The girls’ volleyball team demolished Blair High School on the road in three sets with scores of 25-5, 25-6, and 25-9 for the squad’s final league game. This was South Pas’ first time facing off against the Vikings, as the Tiger JV team pitted itself against the varsity Vikings in the previous matchup. The Tigers finished at a league record of 9-1, making them the official Rio Hondo League champions. South Pasadena’s overall record stands at 20-3.
An ace from junior Kate Kutzer opened the first set, and the first point was followed by kills from junior Haley Peters, who came off the Tiger bench and became a key component to the match, and sophomore Harper Fox. The Vikings were able to gain their first point off of a missed South Pas serve. Junior Ariana Woodworth went on a lengthy serving streak, acing the Vikings numerous time. The Tigers held Blair to only five points, and the set ended at 25-5 after three consecutive aces from junior Molly Feldmeth.
The Tigers easily earned the first seven points of the second set, fueled by tips from Fox, kills from Feldmeth, and serves from Kutzer. Most of the points the Vikings would earn throughout the three sets were due to errors from South Pas. The Tigers challenged themselves by setting their middles more often, and putting in players that normally did not get as much playing time. Freshman Kimi Brown showcased a strong performance laced with multiple kills after also coming in off the sideline, and junior Ellie Kutzer delivered many powerful serves. Sophomore Maddie Saito earned the final point of the second set for South Pas to end the set at 25-6.
Peters and Brown continued to force kills past the Viking defense, though the two teams remained close for the first five points of the set. South Pas broke free, however, and dominated for the remainder of the set. Blair was not able to dig most of the Tiger kills, which added to the large difference of points. A tip from Saito ended the third set at 25-9, marking the end of South Pas’ league run.
“This game was a great experience for all of us to really keep the energy and motivation up no matter our opponent,” Brown said. “Since we made it to second round CIF last year, hopefully we’ll go even farther this year.”
The Tigers are confident that they will improve their overall record to 21-3 and perform extremely well in their upcoming CIF match, and they hope to be a top contender for the championship. South Pas’ first CIF match will be determined shortly as the date, time, and opponent is still to be determined.
