Written by Sofie Dreskin
Staff Writer
Photos by alicia-alderete
Staff Photographer
The girls’ volleyball team defeated San Gabriel in three sets on Tuesday, with scores of 25-22, 29-27, and 26-21. The Tigers demonstrated calculated offense against the Matadors in the team’s victory, bringing their record to 3-2.
The Tigers began the first set with a strategic play from their front row hitters. Senior Isabel Bluml and freshman Lola Foord both delivered well-placed kills for South Pas. The Tigers communication stumbled, subsequently allowing the Matadors to tie the score. Errors from both teams let the score to increase steadily until San Gabriel established a slight lead. South Pas called a timeout to regroup and began to utilize its strong hitters. Seniors Maddie Saito and Harper Fox contributed strong kills to the Tiger’s score, leading to their victory at 25-22.
Bluml and Foord once again started a set with powerful hitting, putting South Pasadena in the lead. It became apparent early that the Matadors were unable to receive the Tigers hits. Saito and junior Natalie Deng sent the ball aggressively at San Gabriel, increasing South Pas’ lead. The Matadors began eating up strong South Pas hits with strong reception, as the set progressed. The Tigers missed several serves and began making technical errors, leading the Matadors to tie the score late in the set. The score rose point by point, both teams unable to maintain enough momentum to close the set. Junior Christina Taylor finally made a kill that ended the game for the Tigers with a score of 29-27.
The third set started well for the Tigers, as they demonstrated offensive consistency and strong serving. An ace from Bluml and kills from hitters Fox and Benzoni gave the Tigers an early lead. San Gabriel played smart defense keeping the South Pas lead under three points. Kills from Saito and Foord, as well as a block from Taylor helped establish an 8-point lead for the Tigers. Defense from Senior Viviana Maradiaga stopped the Matadors from gaining any ground as the set continued. The Tigers ended the set at a score of 25-21 with a kill from Taylor.
“I think we communicated better,” said Lola Foord, “We played particularly well as a team.”
The Tigers will play La Canada in its first league game on September 21 at LCHS.
