Story by Haelee Kim
Staff Writer
Photo by Sarah Lee
Staff Photographer
Girls varsity volleyball destroyed the Torrance Tartars in the first round of CIF on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Freshman Sofia Reyes began the first set with strong serves, quickly earning the Tigers an early lead. Throughout the set, junior Lindsey Hirano’s saves and fellow junior Lola Foord’s kept South Pas in front.
Defensively, junior Carrie Fleming’s strong blocks also thwarted Torrance from catching up to the Tigers. Libero Hirano continued to shine in this set while Torrance’s performance did not improve, lacking the defense necessary to contend with South Pas.
Hirano and Reyes’ passing set up Fleming for multiple clean spikes over the net. The Tartars repeatedly made clumsy mistakes, allowing the Tigers end the set, 25-18.
Hirano continued to perform well in the second set, providing balls for sophomore Alyssa Sokolow and Foord to spike. Sophomore Kennedy Taylor and freshman Ava Dorny spiked numerous shots as Torrance’s communication and focus began to crumble.
However, the Tartars abruptly reversed their performance in the middle of the set, establishing an aggressive front that made the Tigers lose their lead.
After Torrance’s mid-set revival, Garner and Florence helped right South Pas regain momentum and they crawled to a 25-23 set win.
Inconsistency marked the beginning of the third set and the Tigers were unable to gain the lead over the Tartars. Constantly neck to neck, a Foord kill allowed South Pas to gain a brief advantage. Taylor and sophomore Erin Hughes made strong spikes as well, but the scores remained even halfway through the set.
Towards the end of the set, Foord took over and delivered powerful hits. Coupled with strong defense and excellent communication, Foord’s kills increased the Tiger lead. Sophomore Abby Garner delivered the last couple of points for the team and South Pas walked away with a victory, 25-17.
The Tigers have played exceptionally this season, with a 31-6 overall record and a perfect 10-0 Rio Hondo League season. Still, they seek more success.
“We played really well [today],” Reyes said. “We want to make it to state.”
The team will move onto the next round of CIF against Royal on Saturday, Oct. 26.
