Griffins hand Jaguars a tough loss, 2-0
The International girls varsity volleyball team seemed to will its way to a straight sets victory over a very dangerous Cooperative team that had won the previous meeting between the two teams.
The Griffin girls, playing in theit home gym Tuesday, won the first set 27-25, and had to fight every inch of the way as the game was tied multitudinous times.
The Griffins did appear to have the Jaguars on the ropes in that first set when they led 24-21 after a spectacular attempted kick save by Cooperative fell just out of bounds to end a long rally.
But Cooperative clawed its way back to tie the score at 25-25. International then took the next two points to win.
The second set was following more or less the same pattern, except this time International seemed to extrude a small but durable one- or two-point advantage through the early going.
But then after Cooperative had nearly tied the game at 17-all, the Griffins seemed to put on a victory spurt, and yielded only one more point to the Jaguars, winning 25-17.
Afterwards, Cooperative coach Misty Skidmore said, "It's always a tough game when we come here" to the Griffin gym. Several of her players had trouble playing consistently, and she substituted extensively trying the find the right combination, but couldn't quite find it.
Eli Vilar, the International coach, praised the effort made by Cooperative, and was proud of her girls for meeting the challenge. She cited in particular the "spectacular" play of Melisa Roca and the fine serving of Stephanie Gioto.
Skidmore cited the fine setting of Cecelia Aponte, the outstanding serving of Veronica Richter, and the all-around play of ninth grader Luciana Adriazola, who she said "really came into her own" in the game.
Knights awesome, upset Eagles 2-1
The Cambridge girls varsity volleyball game came from behind to defeat Christian Learning two sets to one Thursday in a game played at Cooperative.
The Eagles cruised to victory in the first set, 25-15. But the second set was quite different, as Cambridge, apparently fired up by a between sets pep talk from coach Victor Coronado came out and took an 11-2 lead.
After the game Knight Ana Saavedra Banzer recalled that in the first set her team was "lame, not playing, not excited. Victor told us it was time to start playing."
But after that surge Christian Learning launched its own counterattack, and evened the score at 12-12. The lead then teetered back and forth, but the Eagles were ahead 20-18 when Mariana Escaño went to the service line for Cambridge. After she delivered some hard, well placed serves the score went to 21-21.
The Eagles got the lead back one more time, at 22-21, but then Cambridge took four points in a row, several off Eagle miscues, to take the set.
With the tension, excitement, and noise now at a very high level
the two teams battled hammer and tongs through the third set, with Cambridge winning 15-13.
Cambridge, which had lost its first three games this season, has now won two in a row. The Knights play league-leading International on Saturday. Christian Learning's record falls to 1-4, and they replace Cambridge in the league cellar. The Eagles play Co-operative Friday.
