By Riley Segal
Staff Writer
Photos by Matt Scholtz
The girls’ volleyball team crushed the Wildcats at Monrovia High School in three sets with scores of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-18, on Tuesday, October 27. The Tigers stand in the number one spot in Rio Hondo with a league record of 7-1 and 18-3 overall. The Wildcats managed to make a few strong plays throughout the sets, fueled by their large student section, but South Pas still came out as the top team of the game.
Monrovia managed to remain even with the Tigers until the middle of the first set. South Pas broke away to gain a hefty lead, fueled by kills from senior Taleen Mitchell and juniors Kate Kutzer and Molly Feldmeth. Kutzer also broke through the Wildcat defense with an ace, though Monrovia was able to handle a majority of her powerful serves. Junior Maddy Hirano, senior Katie Sokolow, and Mitchell helped provide a solid defense for the Tigers as well. The Wildcats, however, were able to block a number of hits from South Pas, but a Feldmeth kill passed through the blockers to end the first set at a score of 25-19.
The Tigers jumped to an early lead in the second set, kicked off by an ace from Kutzer, and would not relinquish many points to the Wildcats. Sophomore Maddie Saito was able to sneak a few kills past the Monrovia blockers and gain South Pas more points. The Tiger players continued to impress with sound defense and forceful hits. Though the Wildcats were able to slip in a few kills, the Tigers came out on top. The second set ended after a kill from Mitchell, which resulted in a score of 25-17.
The Wildcats were in front of the Tigers for the majority of the third set. South Pas fought back, however, and showcased its will to keep fighting until the last point. Feldmeth, Kutzer, and Mitchell had a significant amount of kills, and Hirano and Sokolow provided sound defense. Monrovia tried to catch up to the Tigers, who had gained an impressive lead. A block from Saito kept the Tigers in front at a score of 19-18, and soon South Pas had a three point lead. Two consecutive kills from Mitchell ended the set at a score of 25-18.
“Our hitting was strong, though Monrovia was pretty good with their blocks. We also talked a lot more on defense, so we were able to get a lot more balls up,” Mitchell said. “I really want to bring the energy we had this game into our next one, and I hope that a lot of people will come out and support, especially since it’s our last home game.”
The Tigers next face off against third-ranked La Cañada on Thursday, October 29 for their last home league match of the season. South Pas looks to gain another win against the Spartans to bring their league record to 8-1 and 19-3 overall. The Tigers also hope to retain their position as the top team in Rio Hondo in the 2015 season.
